Endings and Beginnings
by Abby J and Amber L
Summary: Jed and Abbey deal with the repercussions after a controversial policy leads to serious consequences for their family. This is part five of the Snapshots of the Past series! Story completed!
1. Default Chapter

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this story belong to NBC, WB, and Aaron Sorkin. We're just borrowing them for some fun :)

Story Summary: The Bartlets deal with changes as they welcome their second daughter into the world; Boston is thrown into the national spotlight, which has significant repercussions for Jed and Abbey; Jed struggles with how the turmoil on his college campus affects him as a professor; Abbey looks forward to graduating from medical school and beginning her internship

AN: We're exploring some events that surrounded Boston in 1974. We're not out to make any political statements about the validity of those events, but to simply explore what the Bartlets may have faced and how that helped to shape who they turned out to be (if they were, you know, real g ). Just FYI.

- - -

Around the country, things were changing. Highway speed limits had been reduced to 55 miles per hour, little girls were now allowed to play little league baseball, and the abduction of Patti Hearst sent shockwaves through communities and towns all over the nation. But another story was about to affect the Bartlet family first-hand. The City of Boston had become a hotbed of debate in 1974 and the only headline that stole attention away from Bean Town was the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Gerald Ford was soon sworn in and the 1974-1975 school year was quickly approaching. The focus of all Bostonians returned to what was predicted to be a disastrous attempt at evening the playing field among the city's youth - busing.

For six-year-old Elizabeth, the talk of controversy was frightening. She prepared to enter the first grade joyfully, but during the long, hot summer months, confusion set in as protesters lined the streets in anger and defiance.

"But I like my school," she whined while she and Abbey sat on the floor and fumbled with her school supplies.

Liz had been pleading with her parents for weeks, hoping something would change. The night before her first day, the chances of that seemed pretty bleak.

"I know, Angel, but you're going to like going to Roxbury too." She prayed it would be true, but for the time being, they were the only words Abbey could offer to comfort her daughter.

"But why do I have to go there? Some of my friends get to stay here. We want to be at the same school. Why do you I have go some place else?"

"Because our lawmakers are morons." Jed dropped his newspaper to reply.

"Jed."

"They are, Abbey. Look, I'm all for integration, but the way they went about it built up so much resentment that it's become unsafe. They're separating the kids when they should be explaining to them -- and those yahoos protesting out there -- why we should be unified."

It was no secret that he wished he was out there doing the job he believed the local politicians were neglecting.

"I agree with you. But the alternative is segregated schools with major pitfalls in equal funding."

"All I'm saying is that I'm concerned about our daughter leaving at least a half hour earlier every morning to go to a school where she won't even be welcomed."

Liz had picked up on his indignation before, but never chose to dig deeper into the meaning behind his words...until now. "Why don't they want me there?"

"It's not you, Sweetheart. It has nothing to do with you," Abbey assured her. "Finish packing your bag and I'll let you have another slice of cake tonight."

"Okay." It wasn't enough to cheer her up, but there was no way she'd turn down the rare offer of an extra dessert.

As she stuffed her supplies into her backpack, Abbey pulled on Jed's ear, signaling him to follow her into the kitchen.

"You know that ear thing used to be cute, but now it's just plain annoying."

"Would you please watch what you say? She's already apprehensive enough as it is."

He folded his arms in front of him in a gesture to keep an open mind. "You want me to just pretend she has no right to be upset?"

"Of course not," Abbey insisted. "But she should be excited about her first day and she's not. I hate it that she's not. Maybe it's time we talk about private school again."

That particular conversation had replayed itself all summer. The conclusion was always the same.

"You said you want her in public school. Have you changed your mind?"

"I just don't want to send her somewhere that makes her so unhappy."

Jed understood her concern and truth be known, he shared it. "We don't know that she'll be unhappy. We won't know anything until tomorrow. Lets wait and see what she has to say when she gets home."

He could see the reluctance in her eyes when she nodded in response. "Fair enough."

"Abbey, what they're doing out there...it may not have been executed well, but it's a good thing. It's a necessary thing, just like you've been saying for months now. The alternative wouldn't be fair to the kids in Roxbury. It wouldn't be fair to Lizzie either."

"I know."

And she did. It wasn't a perfect world. She came to realize that when she was growing up, but somehow, it was different now that she had to explain it to her own child.

That night was spent convincing Liz the busing controversy wasn't really about the kids as much as it was about the adults who couldn't wrap their minds around desegregation. It was true at first. But now that school was set to start and Lizzie and some of her classmates switched places with minority students from Roxbury, the focus of the protesters shifted from the legislators onto the children.

The next morning, Abbey stood on the curb and waved goodbye as Liz stared out the bus window to wave back. The smile she received was proof that she had succeeded in putting her daughter's mind at ease, despite the small reservations that still lingered through her own. Jed held her hand, squeezing it when he felt the tension increasing through her rigid fingers.

"She'll be okay."

"I just think we should have taken her today."

"Abbey, it'll be fine. She wanted to get on the bus. She said so herself. The kids are going to be well-protected."

"What if you're wrong?" Her eyes never left the spot where Liz had been waving moments before, even after the driver had driven away.

Jed offered no response. He simply rubbed her shoulder in silence until she headed back to the apartment to get ready for work.

In the midst of pregnancy, Abbey had entered her fourth year of medical school. With her second child expected in late September, it was her determination to strive towards graduation that kept her busy. She chose an elective that wouldn't be physically demanding and so for several hours a day, she would learn to read EKGs. The rest of her time would be devoted to independent study until after she gave birth.

Though she wasn't assigned to the emergency room, she would have had to have been deaf and blind to ignore the chaos that ensued after she arrived at the hospital that day. It was already happening. Only an hour into the new school year and adults, teenagers, and even children had already been brought in with cuts and bruises, all attained during various riots outside Boston schools.

She scanned the room, dreading the moment she would spot a familiar face on one of the stretchers. And when she didn't, her hand instinctively curled around her veins, stinging with pain as if she had been the one pricked with the IV needles the nurses were injecting.

This wasn't unexpected. Emergency workers had braced themselves for months, community leaders had anticipated massive rebellion. In response, doctors had been warned that they would be on-call the entire first week of school. Triage emergency care had been underway in preparation for violent outbreaks across the city.

Abbey was part of those hospital briefings. She had been trained to help with minute tasks in dire circumstances. Just like in the drills, her doctorly instincts were supposed to kick in right now. But they didn't. She convinced herself it was because she was still a student, not a physician. It was more than that. Much more.

A simple glimpse through the glass windows that separated her from the evidence of the unruliness taking place outside the building affected her on a personal level. Her mind conjured up images of Elizabeth laying somewhere injured and alone and once those visions took root, her eyesight was blinded to everything else

Fear ran through her, cultivated by all the grisly scenarios she tried to cast aside. As the doctors surrounded the patients, she subconsciously backed away from those who needed medical attention, her mind now consumed with only one thought -- where was her own daughter? A professional would stay and help in whatever way she could. But a mother wouldn't, she reasoned. A mother couldn't, not without confirmation that her daughter wasn't in some other hospital crying out for her parents.

She ran away from the chaos and towards the staff lounge, her pregnant frame wobbling down the corridor. With a sigh of relief and a hand to her forehead to brush away her bangs, she peeled off her lab coat and collapsed onto the couch after calling Liz's school. The adrenaline that had been running through her was gone, giving way to pure exhaustion at the mental anguish that temporarily plagued her.

As soon as she confirmed that Liz was safe and sound, the overwhelming feeling that held her emotions hostage was guilt. She left her post in the cardiology department when the first round of patients came barreling in to the emergency room. Then she froze with terror when her motherly instincts kicked in. And now, she was tormented by the consequences of abandoning a scene swarming with injuries. For the first time, she questioned her priorities.

How could offering help to others ever outweigh the concern she felt for her own child? It couldn't. Not in her mind. She was forced to examine the line between doctor and parent. For her, it wasn't blurred. There was a notable difference and she saw it, she felt it. Today, it wasn't Liz who was hurt, but those few minutes of uncertainty that clouded her medical judgment could have meant the difference between life and death for someone else's child.

Unfortunately, they hadn't covered this in med school.

Meanwhile, Jed struggled through each class at the university, eager to make it back to his office where he monitored the protests on a portable radio. He, too, had called Liz's school to assure himself she was safe. And now, sitting behind his desk, his eyes could only focus on one thing -- the clock on the wall. Every second that ticked by was another second closer to 3:00, when Liz would finally be home.

Mary prepared to meet the school bus, just as she usually did when Jed and Abbey were working. But today, husband and wife joined her. As the bus turned the corner, the heads of cheerful students hung out the windows. Laughter could be heard from inside. When the door opened, Liz skipped down the steps to leap into her mother's arms.

"Mommy, Daddy, Grandma! I love it! I love my new school! I love the first grade!"

Tears obstructed Abbey's vision as she held Liz tightly. "So you had a good time?" she asked with a slight hint of laughter leaking through her happiness.

"Uh huh!"

Jed crouched down to eye level. "Lizzie, what did you get to do today?"

"We got to color and paint and play with letters. And we even have a bunny rabbit and I was the only one in class who could spell it because Daddy taught me, so my teacher let me pet it and everything!"

"Well, it sounds like you had quite a day!" Mary replied.

She took her grandmother's hand. "I can't wait to go back tomorrow!"

Jed stood up and wrapped his arm around Abbey's waist as they followed Liz and Mary back home. "You feel better?"

"I do. I know I overreacted. It's just there were so many kids who were brought in to the hospital today..."

He stopped suddenly, turning towards her to place a finger over her lips. "You don't ever have to excuse your fears. If you're worried about something, there's no explanation needed."

"You were worried too," she shared her suspicions.

"Not really," he lied. "I knew she'd be fine."

It was time to nail him with her skepticism. "That's why you called the school three times today, right?"

"Are you checking up on me, Sweet Knees?"

"The school tells me these things."

"Well, they were wrong."

"Sure they were," she replied sarcastically.

His denial was strong and persistent. "They were. I swear it on our marriage."

"Josiah Bartlet, don't you dare!" She seldom used his real name. When she did, it was to express outrage or anger.

He pulled her in to whisper in her ear. "I called four times."

"So did I," she admitted with the return of a smile. "Are you going to call again tomorrow?"

"Maybe." Now he was being honest. "You?"

"Definitely."

Finally, the tension that had built up since Liz left for school was slowly fading. She made it through her first day and looked forward to her second. That was all that mattered. For now.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey worried about Elizabeth's first day of school amidst protests and rioting

Summary: Liz is impatiently waiting for the baby to arrive; Jed is motivated to make a difference; Jed and Abbey rush to the hospital

- - -

Elizabeth Ann Bartlet wanted a little sister. That was obvious. Since the day her parents told her to expect a sibling, her face lit up with images of holding a real life baby in her arms. Visions of a little girl, preferably blonde, monopolized her daily thoughts.

As she helped Abbey count down the days until the baby's birth, she became obsessed with the joy that consumed her. The very notion of sibling quality time excited her to the point that she practically expected the newborn to leap from her crib to participate.

But something peculiar happened, something Liz wasn't expecting.

The calendar hung in her room. Big red "Xs" were drawn as each day passed. A red circle engulfed the number 24 since that was Abbey's due date -- September 24th. Unfortunately, an "X" now dominated that box as well.

It was October 1st and little Lizzie was slowly losing her mind with anticipation. While her friends played outside, she spent her free time hovering over her mother's stomach, cheering for the baby to start her journey through the womb.

"Come on, Emily, you can do it!" she encouraged, her head hanging forward allowing her chestnut hair to tickle Abbey's skin. "Come out and play."

"So now we've named her?" Abbey asked, cupping her daughter's chin to lift her head.

"Uh huh. I like Emily. Can that be her name?"

"We'll see. I'll talk to Daddy about it. But why don't you hop up on the couch and sit next to Mommy a second."

"Okay!"

Once she was settled, Abbey's arm wrapped around her shoulder to comfort her. "What makes you so sure this baby's a little girl?"

She didn't hesitate in repeating the same answer she had given numerous times before. "I just know it is! I want a sister! Girls are fun!"

"But wouldn't you also like to have a brother?"

The thought practically grossed her out. She scrunched her face and replied. "Uh uh! Boys aren't fun!"

With a soft laugh, Abbey held her tighter, preparing her for what she was about to say. "Sweetheart, I just want you to be prepared because Mommy doesn't know if she's having a little boy or a little girl."

"It's a girl!" she insisted once again.

This was harder than Abbey expected. She had to curtail Liz's enthusiasm before disappointment set in. "What if it isn't? What if it's a little boy?"

Elizabeth's brows furrowed in disbelief. Her eyes suddenly sparkled with seriousness, making Abbey aware that the possibility was simply out of the question. "Then we'll send him back!"

The twinge of annoyance in her voice halted the conversation. It was that same refusal to accept a brother that led Abbey to pray every night when Mary was pregnant with Kate. At the time, she didn't understand that a baby's sex was determined at conception, not just before birth. Pretty soon, she would need to make Liz aware of that.

"Come on, Emily," Liz whined as she curled up her fists and hit Abbey's stomach.

It wasn't a hard punch, but it shocked her nonetheless. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"My friend Susie says we have to MAKE her come out."

"Oh no you don't. She'll come out when she's good and ready."

Liz paused briefly, frustrated by her foiled attempt to rush things along. "Okay," she conceded sadly. "I can't scare her out?"

"I'm afraid not, Sweetie. She'll come out on her own."

Liz watched Abbey caress her belly, applying slight pressure over the bulge. She turned away from the scene, her lips curving down with a frown. She waited a few minutes, then twisted back sharply and screamed into Abbey's stomach.

"BOO!"

Still nothing from the baby, though Abbey jolted in terror. "Elizabeth!"

"Sorry."

She wasn't the only one waiting impatiently for the arrival of Baby Bartlet. Jed had spent many sleepless nights watching his wife's stomach contract and expand with every squirm of the infant inside. Her bags were packed and ready for the hospital at the slightest hint of labor. But there was none. Other than the extra weight she carried and a few extra doctor's visits to ensure the baby's safety, there was no indication that she was as pregnant as she was.

And so at Abbey's insistence, he left to go to work.

"For Wednesday, be prepared to tell me why Hilt's economic expansion plan failed miserably," Jed addressed his students.

"Professor Bartlet?"

"Yes?"

"What if I don't think it failed?" That was Tyler Payne. He was a smart young man with a good head on his shoulders. Jed sensed right away that Tyler would keep him on his toes.

"What?"

"Roger Hilt's plan itself may have been a disaster, but it was the model that was later used for more successful solutions, right?"

"Right."

"So how is that a failure?"

Jed absolutely reveled in a challenge. Tyler's tenacity frequently forced him to look beyond his black and white landscape and include a bit of gray into his teaching.

"Okay. I want you to be ready to explain how his model helped future economists prepare their own on Wednesday. That's all, class."

The other students shuffled out, but Tyler stopped to talk to his professor. "I won't be here on Wednesday, Sir."

"No?" It was a bit of a shock as Tyler never missed a day of school. Not in this class, nor in the two others Jed taught before it.

"I hate to miss class, but it's kind of important."

"What's up?"

"Some friends and I are driving to Washington...there's a group called Bring Americans Home. It's an anti-war group. We're meeting with them so we can start a chapter here on campus."

Jed simply nodded at the thought. Anti-war demonstrations were important. They were the epitome of every American's right to free speech. But they also left him conflicted. He had seen the brutality of war on television. He had seen the torment the soldiers faced in the eyes of his best friend, Leo. Protesting the Vietnam War had become synonymous with protesting the troops and once that happened, his deep respect for Leo kept him out of the fray.

"Well, then I guess I'll see you next week," he replied, respectfully dismissing his student from class.

The city was packed to capacity with protesters opposing the war, busing, and other controversial topics that dominated the evening news. Jed was surrounded by events that impacted the lives of millions and, yet, he didn't have a voice. He could join those speaking out against atrocities just as he had done in his younger years, but he wanted more. Much more.

Aspirations of a different role, one in public service, were weighing heavily on his mind. His family's long history in politics notwithstanding, his background had prepared him to lead, not to follow.

But at the moment, there were other responsibilities to tend to. As he drove up to the three-story walkup on Wigglesworth Street, his earlier thoughts vanished just as quickly as they had appeared, replaced by confusion immediately after he greeted Abbey.

"I'm concerned I might be having a boy," she said.

"That's a bad thing now?"

"Well, for Lizzie." Her fingers barely grasped his as she led him into the bedroom. "She really wants a little girl."

"Then I guess we should hope for a little girl." There was that facetious nature of his that sometimes grated on her nerves.

"Jed, I'm serious."

His coy smile lightened the mood for a moment as he began to unbutton his shirt. "Abbey, she wants a girl now because she doesn't know what it's like to have a brother. She can't imagine it. If the baby is a boy, she'll learn to love him just as she would a sister."

He made no effort to pick up the clothes that fell to the floor. Instead, he stepped out of his pants and gently helped Abbey onto the bed, propping her head on her pillow.

"I don't know. You and your brother didn't get along nearly as well as Kate and I did."

"That's different."

"How?" His look was enough to remind her of the stormy relationships in the Bartlet house. "Oh, right. Sorry."

"I think you're worrying about nothing. What you should be worrying about is the fact that in eight months, you're going to be walking across a stage holding a medical degree and if that baby isn't out of your stomach by then..."

"You're as bad as Lizzie," she replied with a shrug and a stern shake of her head. "I'm the one who should be complaining. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable this is?"

"The doctor suggested inducing labor."

"Not yet. It's safer to just wait." After patting her head against the pillow repetitively, she finally laid back.

He loved her hair sprawled out like that. He loved her pajamas molding to the mounds on her chest. He loved everything about her. He licked his lips and reminded himself that he could help relieve her discomfort. "In the meantime, how about I make you feel better?"

"How?" As if she didn't know.

"I'm surprised at you, Doc," he teased. "You know they say sex can help things along," he said with a kiss to her lips as his hands massaged the satiny material over her breasts.

Only a light moan escaped her mouth before she surrendered. Her pajama bottoms slipped off after Jed tugged at the hem. In no time at all, her clothes were strewn around the bedroom, her naked body was scantily covered by only a thin sheet, and her muscles were twitching with desire. She felt his warm breath across the delicate skin of her inner thighs. His tongue trailed it's way up her body and soon, his mouth enveloped her completely.

With her head pressed into the pillow, she was beginning to lose control. Her reaction convinced him she was ready for what came next. He pulled away for a moment to bear down on the mattress, then entered her, his first thrust so powerful it shook her intimately. She squirmed slightly, inflating his ego and preparing him to repeat the action...until she called his name.

"Jed!"

The alarm in her voice stopped him immediately. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"The baby's coming."

It took seconds for the words to register superficially. His eyes fell to where their bodies were joined. "Now?"

"Right now."

Agony. She might be the one ready to give birth, but for him, it was pure agony.

"Okay." He took a deep breath and withdrew from inside her, collapsing onto his side while struggling to catch his breath.

"What are you doing?"

"I just need a minute." Then it hit him, overshadowing his physical pain with resounding confirmation as Abbey toddled from the bed. "Oh God! Abbey, are you in pain? Did your water break?"

"Not yet. But I think it's going to. I'm feeling the contractions."

"You're sure this isn't false labor?"

"Jed, I'm a week overdue. I pray to God it's not false labor. We'll be fine. Just call my parents and tell them we'll drop Lizzie off on the way to the hospital. I'll call the doctor, get dressed, and meet you in the car."

Having gone through this once before should have prepared him for this moment, he thought. But then again, he wasn't with Abbey when she went into labor with Elizabeth. He was at Leo's wedding in Chicago. This was the first time he'd rush her to the hospital and though they had practiced the route many times in the past few weeks, doing it for real somehow opened the gates to sheer terror.

He threw his legs into a pair of pants and pulled a Notre Dame sweatshirt over his head then grabbed Abbey's hospital bag as he headed towards the car. After tossing the bag inside, he hurried back to the apartment and picked up a sleepy Liz, wrapping her up in a blanket and stroking her hair as she stirred in his arms.

"It's okay, Sweetie. We're going for a ride to grandma's."

"Grandma?" she mumbled.

"Go to sleep," he responded in a loving whisper.

His hands still trembling, he took cautious steps down the concrete stairs outside, but as one foot landed on the edge, he lost his balance and crashed to the ground. Liz jostled against him, bolting up from the sudden drop.

"Daddy!"

"It's okay. Daddy's fine." They were comforting, yet insincere words.

"Jed! Jed, what happened?" Abbey's frantic calls became more frenzied as she ran from the apartment to help her husband and crying daughter.

"I'm fine, Abbey."

"Daddy." Liz wiped the tears that formed in her eyes at the sight of her father fighting to regain his equilibrium.

"Daddy's going to be okay, Sweetheart." Abbey pulled the little girl from Jed's arms and extended her hand to her husband. "How about you? Did you get hurt?"

"No," she cried.

Barely standing, Jed gripped the railing on the stairs. After allowing Abbey a quick peek, he raised his other hand to firmly grasp his head.

"I don't see any blood on the outside, but it still could be serious. Will you be okay until we get to the hospital or should I call an ambulance?" Her instincts told her he didn't need the ambulance, but she wouldn't compromise her husband's well-being based solely on her premature diagnosis.

"Forget it! We can drop Lizzie off and be at the hospital in less than 15 minutes. Let's go." His feet hit the ground, but his body began to waver.

"Oh no. I don't think you can drive."

"Abbey, it's nothing."

"Jed, I think you might have a concussion. You can't even stand. You certainly can't drive."

She was right. He acknowledged it with a sigh of concession. "Then we'll have to call a cab."

"Screw the cab. Give me the keys."

"You're having a baby, Abbey."

"All the more reason to stop fighting me. I'll get us to the hospital in no time." Determination flashed in her eyes as her impatient fingers wiggled in front of him.

"Are you sure?"

He waited for the reassuring nod then reluctantly handed her the keys as he used the car's frame for support to walk to the passenger's side. Abbey sat Liz in the back seat, covering her with her blanket when she dropped to her side to stretch out on the cushion.

She wedged her pregnant tummy against the steering wheel, taking note of the snug fit. When she tried to reach for her seatbelt, she couldn't deny the problem.

"I'm stuck."

"What?"

She squirmed slightly, her body barely moving. "I'm stuck."

"What do you mean you're stuck?" It was the last thing he expected now.

"Give me a thesaurus, I'll give you another word for it."

Jed climbed out of the car and wobbled to the driver's side. One push on the seat adjustment latch moved Abbey away from the wheel, giving her a decent comfort zone. Unfortunately, Jed's problem wasn't as easily fixed. Now nauseous with a throbbing headache, he staggered back to his seat and waited for Abbey to floor the gas.

They arrived at James and Mary's in record time. James sprinted towards them as they pulled up and diligently bundled Liz up into his arms. Mary slipped on her jacket, ready to join her daughter and son-in-law on their trek to the hospital.

"Abigail, let your mother drive. It'll be safer," James suggested.

"Couldn't be any more dangerous," Jed mumbled under his breath. Not being in control of the vehicle always made him crazy.

"Dad, I'm fine. I promise. Besides, I doubt I can really move."

"Why?"

Jed leaned over Abbey's belly to reply. "She's got a one-week-old human being inside of her and she can barely fit in the driver's seat." Her cold stare caused him to retract his body quickly back to his own side.

With Mary now sitting in the back, Abbey raced towards the hospital, dodging parked cars and any trolling pedestrians who dared to cross their path.

The emergency room doors swung open as the three stumbled inside, both Mary and Abbey propping a falling Jed on their shoulders. The adrenaline coursing through their veins now controlled their every move and attempts at calming themselves didn't go unnoticed by the nurses who approached to help.

"My husband fell on some concrete steps. He hit his head pretty hard. He's nauseous and dizzy and he has a nasty bump, but no amnesia or confusion and he hasn't lost consciousness. There's no visible bleeding, but a possible hematoma." She breezed through that rundown like a pro. Even in his condition, Jed was proud of her. Always a doctor.

They rolled out a wheelchair for Jed as another nurse handed Abbey a clipboard. "We'll just need you to give us some information so we can treat him."

"Abigail, you don't have time for that," Mary reminded her.

She turned to face the nurse and gripped her stomach. "Oh yeah, and, by the way, I'm in labor."

Another nurse quickly brought a wheelchair to Abbey's side. After she took her seat, Jed grabbed the frame of the chair and rolled her towards him with a little too much force. Her chair hit his and they both crashed into the nurse's station.

He couldn't help being amused by the scene of the two of them so helpless. "Is this how you pictured this moment, Sweet Knees?"

"Shut up, Gumdrop," she replied just before a contraction took her breath away.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed hit his head on the way to the hospital after Abbey went into labor

Summary: Jed and Abbey are separated as they each receive medical attention; it's a girl!

- - -

Another nurse quickly brought a wheelchair to Abbey's side and helped her down. Jed grabbed the frame of the chair in an attempt to roll her towards him. When the chairs collided and crashed into the nurse's station, his amusement took over.

"Is this how you pictured this moment, Sweet Knees?"

"Shut up, Gumdrop," she replied before a contraction took her breath away.

He rubbed her arm while he waited for confirmation that the pain had passed. "We really are a mess."

"Okay, are you two ready to say goodbye?"

Goodbye? That wasn't part of the plan. The nurse's question immediately wiped the grin off Jed's face. "Goodbye? No, I want to stay with my wife."

"We'll get you to her as quickly as we can, but we really need to do a CT scan of your head."

His own health wasn't important to him. Abbey was in labor and the thought of not being there with her was simply unconscionable. "Abbey?"

"It's okay. I'll wait for you just like I did with Lizzie," she assured him. "Try to get there a little faster this time," she added with a smile to ease his concern.

"I promise."

He stretched his body over his lap, urging her to meet him halfway so their lips could connect for a kiss. Their fingers slipped between one another as their hands joined until the nurses separated the two wheelchairs, taking Jed down one hall and Abbey down another.

The minutes felt like hours while Jed waited to be reunited with Abbey, his mind absorbed with thoughts of what was happening. He worried about the rough contractions that violently shook her body when she was in labor with Liz, about the emerald green eyes that flashed a glimmer of fear just before she gave birth, and about the stubborn streak that would cause Abbey to hold the baby in until he arrived, no matter how much pain it meant for her.

Finally, more than an hour later, a nurse wheeled him into the birthing room.

"Hey!" he greeted his wife. Surprisingly, Abbey looked to be as comfortable as possible.

Just the sound of his voice was enough to get her excited. She set down her magazine to concentrate on him. "Hey, what happened? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine. The doctor just wanted me to stay in this damn chair until he's sure I won't pass out."

Abbey's gaze left him briefly as she addressed the nurse. "CT Scan clear?"

"From what I'm told, but you'll have to talk to the doctor for the details."

"I will. Thanks."

Jed twisted himself around to watch the hospital room door close behind his nurse, then turned his attention to his wife, his face expressing mild irritation. "You don't believe me?"

"I believe you. I just want to make sure you understood what the doctor said."

"Does one really need a medical degree to understand every word uttered by a medical professional?" he replied, the indignation prominent in his tone. "I'm not a child, Abigail."

"I never said you were. I just want to make sure that beautiful head of yours is really okay." Cupping his head with her hands, she pulled him forward for a kiss. "I didn't mean to insult you."

"Okay, then." He couldn't help but return her smile. But with one glance at her oversized belly, he was reminded of the more immediate situation. "What the hell are you doing anyway? Aren't you in labor?"

"Yes. In fact, my water broke just before Mom went to get some coffee." Calmness radiated from every syllable she spoke.

He browsed the room studiously, taking note of the many magazines and books that sat on the table next to her. "Why aren't you screaming? I complained the entire time they put me under that X-ray machine."

"I have a higher tolerance for pain than you do," she said simply.

"Excuse me, I could have cracked my head open."

"But you didn't."

Well, that was true. He couldn't very well argue that point. Instead, he rolled himself against the wall while she thumbed through another magazine. It was that little side of Abbey that refused to surrender to pain that kept her from admitting that she was trembling and hurting on the inside with each and every contraction.

Hours passed and her denial became more difficult to maintain. The psychological technique for masking trauma that she had perfected as a child had lost its potency and she could no longer forsake the distress her body was facing. Her tranquil demeanor faded rapidly as she transformed into a raging bundle of pain, screaming for release.

"I thought you said you have a high tolerance for pain," Jed teased between contractions.

"I said higher -- higher than you," she snapped as she the hurt subsided. "You scream in agony when you stub your toe."

"Now that isn't very nice. My head really hurts, Abbey."

"Cry me a river, Sweetheart! But before you start, get me a violin. We may need some music at this pity party."

Yep, this was the part of labor Jed least enjoyed. He reclined in his chair and picked up her copy of Cosmo to divert his attention. "Look at that. It says here there are ten signs that will let you know if I'm cheating on you. Let's just make sure I'm not giving off false vibes, shall we?"

Her eyes burned with rage towards him. "You're going to read a magazine?"

"Yeah." The nonchalant response infuriated her even more.

"Of all the things you could be doing..."

"Tsk, tsk, Babe. Losing your temper isn't a good way to bring a new child into this world. Of course, as slowly as things are going, it could take hours before that actually becomes a problem."

"You're thwarting me."

"Am not." It was an insincere denial if she ever heard one.

"Yes, you are. You're thwarting me. NOW, of all times."

"Abbey, I swear, I'm just trying to read my magazine."

"Mr. Bartlet, you're upsetting your wife," a nurse intervened.

Abbey gave him a smug roll of her shoulders before her body was taken over by another contraction. The magazine fell to the floor as he rushed to hold her hand through it. The contractions were coming fast and furiously now, giving Abbey virtually no time to catch her breath in between. Jed blotted her forehead with a wet towel, his heart aching for the sheer exhaustion that constricted her every move.

"You're okay, Abbey. Just breathe, just like we practiced. You're doing great...you're doing so great," he encouraged.

"I can't do it anymore. I can't push." Her statement ended with another gut-wrenching scream that ripped the innermost seam of Jed's soul.

"Abbey, you're almost there," the doctor responded.

"It hurts." She gripped Jed's hand firmly as he continued to wipe away the sweat and tears that stained her face. "I can't."

The desperation in her eyes caused him to leap to his feet. His eyes never lost contact with hers as he held her head up to get through to her. "Yes, you can. You can."

"No, I can't!" she screamed. "It's harder this time. I don't know why, but it is."

"Abbey, we're almost finished," the doctor assured her. "The baby's close."

As her hands continued to tremble, Jed brushed her hair off her face. "Abbey, listen to me. These past eight and a half years that I've known you, I've seen you do amazing things. You're the strongest, most remarkable woman I've ever met. There's nothing in this world you can't do, Honey. Nothing."

"Abbey, I see the head. Can you give me one big push?"

Jed leaned in across her stomach to get a firmer grasp on her hand and reemphasize his support. "I'm right here. Look into my eyes and see how much I love you. You can see it, I know you can, Baby." Their eyes locked into each other, the intensity of their emotions reflective in the tears. "Give the doctor one more push and it'll be over."

Abbey glanced down at the doctor before looking back at Jed. "Okay," she whispered. "But we're never doing this again!"

"Whatever you say," he chuckled.

With one small push, followed directly by a much larger one, her screams were abruptly drowned out by the cries of the newest Bartlet. Abbey collapsed against the bed, her body drained of all her energy.

"I told you you could do it," Jed said as he walked freely over to the baby. There was no mistaking the pride in his voice when he took the infant into his arms and turned to his wife. "It's a girl."

"Bring her over," Abbey pleaded.

Wrapped in a small towel, the newborn baby girl was placed on her chest. She never believed she'd ever feel the same joy that ran through her when Elizabeth was born, but she did. She felt it now. People had told her long ago that once a baby is born, the mother forgets the pain she experienced to bring it into the world. Her cynicism always kept her from believing that and now, she knew she was right to discount the theory. She didn't forget. She would never forget. But it didn't matter because it was worth it.

Jed's lips quivered as if he had something to say, but it took him minutes to find his voice. "She's beautiful, Abbey. Just like her mother, just like her sister."

"Why aren't you in your chair?"

He dismissed her question with a flip of his hand. "I'm fine. I was just hoping the chair would garner me a little more sympathy from you," he joked as she gripped his shirt and pulled him down over their daughter for a kiss.

"Can you go get Mom before they take the baby away...and call Lizzie?"

"You bet. Do you need anything?"

"Just you. Come back soon."

He pressed his lips to the top of her head for another quick kiss before leaving.

It was a phone call Jed was eager to make. Liz had wanted a sister for more than a year and he couldn't wait to finally break the good news.

"It's a girl, Sweetie. You've got a baby sister!" he told her.

"A sister!" she exclaimed so loud that Jed had to move the phone from his ear. "Put her on the phone, Daddy!"

Her request filled him with laughter. "I think she's too young for that, but how about I come get you so you can come see her?"

"Grandpa says he'll bring me. He wants to see her too! And Mommy!"

"All right, Angel. You go get ready and put Grandpa on." Jed didn't think it was possible to feel happier and luckier than he did at that moment, but he was wrong.

James Barrington had always been a surrogate father to his son-in-law. From the day Abbey brought Jed home to meet him, he had taken a liking to the exuberant charm, charisma, and intelligence that he noticed from that first handshake. So it was only natural that James congratulated him on the birth of his second daughter, but when he thanked him for being a wonderful husband to Abbey and for joining the Barrington family, Jed silently cried. James didn't know it, but that sentiment would stay with Jed forever.

When James and Liz arrived at the hospital, Baby Girl Bartlet hadn't been officially named yet. Liz stood on the stool outside the nursery as her father pointed to her little sister behind the glass.

"Hi, Emily!" she shouted while jumping up and down with excitement.

It wasn't until later that evening that they would settle on a name. Liz kept her distance when the nurse placed the baby back in Abbey's arms. Her eyes were glued to the squirming newborn, but her hands were locked behind her back. Every now and then, she stuck her neck forward to get a closer look, her trepidation becoming obvious.

"Lizzie, come here. Don't you want to meet her?" Abbey asked.

Liz nodded, but approached with caution. "Hi," she said softly. "Can her name be Emily?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you and your father about." She glanced at Jed who was standing only a few feet away with the same smile that had been plastered on his face since the birth.

"I'm listening," he said.

Abbey's stare settled on Liz. "I was thinking the baby's middle name could be Emily. That would be the very first gift you will have given her. Would you like that?"

"Uh huh."

"Now for her first name," she continued, "I thought we could name her after a lovely woman who meant...who means a great deal to our family. I thought we could name her Eleanor." With another glance to Jed for approval, she found the smile had vanished.

"Eleanor?" Lizzie asked.

"I know you never met her, Lizzie, but you would have liked your grandma Bartlet. She was a kind and beautiful woman and she raised the most caring, loving man in the world." Her eyes fell to Jed, once again, as she concluded. "Her middle name was Eleanor."

"I like it," Liz replied.

"We can even call her Ellie for short."

"Ellie. I really like it."

Jed remained silent, causing slight concern in Abbey. "How about you?"

As if the day hadn't been emotional enough. "I really like it too." He barely choked out his response.

Abbey raised the infant's head to talk directly to her. "So what do you think, baby girl? Eleanor Emily Bartlet."

Jed sat down on the edge of the bed and helped Liz onto his lap. His eyes moved from mother to newborn daughter in one gliding motion. "Sounds perfect."

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: The Bartlets were blessed with their second daughter

Summary: Abbey tries to ease Liz's fears with regards to Ellie; Jed gets a "suggestion" from his boss; Liz recalls a frightening experience at school

- - -

Three weeks earlier, Elizabeth Bartlet's biggest wish had come true. Eleanor Emily Bartlet entered the world and she finally had that little sister she wanted for so long. But something changed. The images of joyful sisterly bonding time had vanished. Ellie wasn't old enough to play. She wasn't old enough to do much of anything, in fact. She was fragile and, in a six-year-old's mind, breakable. Every instinct told her to reach out to little Ellie, but something deep inside her held her back. It was fear.

Still, she couldn't help but peek into her parents' room now and then to just stare at the newborn. She'd stand by the crib and smile to an oblivious Ellie, not realizing the baby was too young to smile back. The only response she ever got out of her was the heartwarming coos she'd hear when she dangled something just out of Ellie's reach. Usually, it was a piece of ribbon or something similar, but today, it was a bottle of baby powder.

She sensed Ellie's fascination with the pink, swan-shaped bottle. She held it above the infant's face to hear the sweet sounds she was anticipating. Ellie squirmed slightly, her eyes fixated on her sister's hands. She let out a loud squeal of delight and in response, Liz inadvertently twisted the bottle. Little sprinkles of powder dropped from above and blanketed Ellie's face, causing her to cry in horror.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Liz's screams came from the depths of her lungs.

"What? What's wrong?" Abbey was immediately drawn to the messy baby. "Oh God." She scooped her up into her arms.

"I'm sorry! Please help her!" The plea from Liz was more jarring than the cries from Ellie.

Abbey gently swept a damp cloth over the newborn's face. Her sensitive skin glowed a slightly red shade, but soon, her tears were gone when she was comforted with a loving hug and a couple of soothing pats on her back. "Are you okay, Precious?" The baby simply cooed in reply to her mother's voice. "Yeah, I think you're okay now," she said with a sigh of relief.

It wasn't as simple for the nervous six-year-old who stood framed in the doorway, trembling with fear. She put Ellie back in her crib and led Liz out of the room.

"I didn't mean to do it," Liz insisted several times as Abbey dabbed her wet eyes with a tissue.

"I know you didn't."

"I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, Ellie is fine. The powder didn't go into her eyes or her mouth. It just scared her. It was an accident. Accidents happen. You just have to be careful because she's so little."

"I know." She lowered her head in a show of acknowledgment as well as a bit of shame.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

Crouched down in front of her, Abbey lifted her chin so she could face her at eye level. "You like having a sister, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"You haven't asked to hold her or touch her. All you ever want to do is look at her."

"She's too young to play."

"I know, but I think it's more than that. Are you afraid?"

"I don't wanna break her," Liz quietly muttered with a simple shrug.

Those words definitely sounded familiar. She had heard them from Jed as soon as Liz was born and just as she did with him, she was determined to put her daughter's mind at ease. "I want you to do me a favor. Go sit on the sofa."

"Okay." Liz made herself just comfortable enough to still be able to wiggle around and spy on her mother.

Abbey came out of the bedroom with Ellie nestled in her arms. "Scoot back and hold out your arms."

"No! I'll drop her." She quivered at the thought of being even mildly responsible for someone so small and helpless.

"No, you won't. I'm right here. I won't let you." She placed the infant on top of Liz's arms, allowing her to rest her back on Liz's legs while keeping her own hands extended until she was sure she wasn't needed. "Just hold her head up, just like that."

One glance at Ellie's tiny face relieved some of the stiffness in the six-year-old's posture. "She's looking at me."

"Yes, she is. Tell her who you are."

"Hi, Ellie."

"Ellie, this is your big sister," Abbey added when Liz's excitement didn't allow her to continue.

"I'm Lizzie." Her eyes burned into Ellie's as she smiled. Ellie studied the facial expression intently. Finally, she mimicked her sister. "She's smiling!"

"She must really like you, Lizzie. That's the first time she's done that," Abbey replied tearfully.

While the two sisters got to know one another, their father faced a whole new set of challenges when he returned to work at the university.

Jed sat at his desk, occasionally turning towards the window at the rampant sounds echoing outside. His fingers curled around a black pen that he used as a distraction while his three students completed their midterm exam. A class of twenty-four and it all came down to three. It wasn't because the others were finished. It was merely because the others had never shown up.

He knew why. The whole school knew why. Tyler Payne's vision of a unified campus protesting the Vietnam War had come to fruition. Sporting clothing to depict and visualize their outrage, students armed themselves with signs then lined the grassy trails bordering the courtyard. It was their chants that Jed was hearing through the closed window. It was those very sounds that made him remember his own protests in his younger days. Unfortunately, it was that demonstration of rebellion that also landed him in hot water all these years later.

Dean Campbell waited for his students to leave before he approached Jed. When he finally went in, he did so cautiously, initially sparking a benign conversation that seemed to lead nowhere before tackling a more disagreeable topic.

"Your students all deserted your exam today?" he asked somewhat rhetorically.

"Not all of them."

"It wasn't just you. Professor Flynn administered only one exam in his Constitutional Law class. Professor Pollard, same thing."

Jed wasn't surprised. He wasn't even disappointed. "Yeah."

"That's why I'm taking a stand on this." The man balled up his hand, clenching his fist to express his previously undetected anger.

"I don't understand."

"Any student who skipped out on midterms automatically fails the semester." It was said bluntly, leaving no room for discussion, but that didn't stop Jed.

"I was planning to give a make-up," he said.

"Not this time. The protest had been planned for a week, maybe longer. The school knew about it and warned these students that midterms were mandatory. This isn't the time to show their displeasure with government's stand on foreign relations."

He fumbled with his stapler in an effort to avoid the Dean's glare. "It's their right to protest something with which they disagree."

"Not on my time, or yours for that matter. They expect to do this today then show up next week for make-ups with no regard for the schedule their professors -- and this school -- adhere to. Forget it. If they didn't show up today, you'll fail them."

His head shot up in response to what sounded like an order. "I don't feel comfortable doing that, Sir."

"Surely you don't approve?"

"It's not about approval or disapproval."

"Whether or not they agree with this nation's involvement in this war is not up for debate. But their peers are out there serving their country and shedding their own blood while doing it. These protests are nothing more than a colossal show of disrespect towards those brave soldiers. I won't support it and neither will the university."

"We can disagree with the message without disagreeing with their right to express it. I'd be surprised if most of these students didn't learn that very thing in the Constitutional Law class you spoke of earlier."

"As I said, the war isn't up for debate and neither is this conversation. I'm not asking you to fail them. I'll telling you to." Yep, it certainly was an order.

Jed nodded reluctantly as he brushed by the Dean to approach the window. He stared at the sea of protesters, all brought together with a common goal, all believing they were making some kind of difference, no matter what the consequences. "If I refuse?"

The Dean took a step towards the Professor. His professional objection didn't work. It was time to hit him on a personal level. "I'm surprised you'd want to. Don't you have a friend who served?"

"I do. My best friend. I never said I support this particular protest. Frankly, I think it's shortsighted to blame soldiers who are simply following the orders of their Commander-in-Chief."

"Okay then."

"But in defending the laws that govern our nation, I think it's important to remember that American soldiers gave their lives so those students could do exactly what they're doing out there." And with that firm declaration, he turned his gaze to the Dean one last time. "I'm giving a make-up exam next week."

The Dean slipped his hands into his pocket as he refused to surrender his position. Neither the professional approach nor the personal approached worked, so he turned to a new tactic. "The faculty members at this school are all part of a team. You're never going to get tenure here if you don't learn to play ball, Professor."

Jed collapsed onto his chair as he watched the man turn and leave his classroom. It was a veiled threat, disguised as a fact he couldn't dispute. The only person Jed Bartlet had ever relinquished his own thoughts and opinions to was his father. And now that he no longer had contact with John, he wasn't about to allow another domineering person take his place.

That evening, his silence at the dinner table was overshadowed by a disagreement between Abbey and Liz.

"Do I have to eat my green beans?" Liz asked repeatedly.

"Yes, you do." It was a response she had already given. This time, her irritation was showing.

"Daddy didn't."

"Of course he did." Abbey turned towards her husband, convinced she would have his support. "Didn't you?"

Jed thought about bluffing his way out of it, but when he glanced at his young daughter, he let that plan fall by the wayside. He shook his head instead. "You know I don't like green beans."

"See?" Liz replied with a triumphant smile.

"All right, it doesn't matter. Eat your green beans. I'm going to go check on Ellie."

Liz watched her mother disappear into the bedroom before pleading with her father. "Can't I just throw them away?"

"No, but how about you have an apple instead?" he offered.

She took the apple from his hand and inspected it carefully. "But an apple is a fruit. She wanted me to have veggies."

"I'll talk to her. And from now on, we'll give you a choice of veggies so you aren't forced to eat something you really don't like. How's that?"

"Okay."

He stood up and began to clear off the table, his eyes still drawn to a reluctant Liz. "Lizzie, in order for your Mom to go along with this, you have to actually eat the apple."

The green beans may taste awful, but at least they'd be painless. She hadn't told him that her mouth hurt. "But I don't like apples either. Can't I have a grape?"

"No, eat your apple." One compromise was enough from Jed's point of view.

"Why can't I have a grape?"

"Because I handed you an apple," he replied from the kitchen. "You used to like them."

"I don't anymore."

"You'll learn to like them again. Now eat."

She accepted defeat and opened her mouth wide. With one bite, she screamed out in pain, dropping the apple with a trail of blood leading down her lips. Jed beat Abbey to her side, frantically patting her face to clean up the blood.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Daddy made me get hurt!"

"I swear, I didn't touch her." Jed's insistence fell on deaf ears as Abbey pushed him out of the way to examine Liz's mouth.

"Let me see." Her cries softened at her mother's gentle touch. "Oh, Lizzie, it's okay, Sweetie. You just lost a tooth."

"I did?"

"Yeah." She held the tooth in a small piece of tissue and showed it to her. "Did you know it was loose?"

She shook her head begrudgingly, still reeling from the sight of all the blood. "No."

"Well, it looks like you're going to get your very first visit from the tooth fairy tonight." With a kiss to her forehead, Abbey helped her to the bathroom to wash out her mouth.

Liz didn't know she had a loose tooth. That part was true. But now that it fell out, she knew exactly how it was knocked loose. It wasn't the result of regular childhood horseplay. It was something much more frightening to the little girl.

Her parents were certain she would like her new school. At first, she did. But as the weeks went on and the violence escalated, she longed for her old school. The novelty of Roxbury's diverse student population soon wore off and while darting angry protesters on her way to class, she had been caught in the crossfire of two men who accidentally pushed her into a wall.

She was hurt, but she didn't cry. She wiped off the tiny bit of blood that escaped her lip and made her way to class. By simply avoiding that area of the school, she believed she'd be safer, separated from the hatred and fury of those around her. At her tender age, she didn't realize she had just put a Band-Aid on a problem that was about to get much worse.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Just a precautionary rating of R for this one because of a possibly disturbing scene!

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed refused to fail his students for skipping out on their midterms in favor of an antiwar protest; Liz kept quiet about a violent incident at school that resulted in knocking her tooth loose

Summary: Jed and Ellie bond; Liz is brought to tears by protesters; Abbey's worst nightmare is about to come true

- - -

Babies. They're cute and soft and cuddly. They're also a bundle of tears just waiting to erupt at any given moment, regardless of time or convenience. But two-month-old Ellie had a pretty good grasp on time, so it would seem. She usually waited until the sun went down to begin her tantrums, waking her parents with harsh screams that could only be calmed by Abbey.

And after a week of getting little to no sleep, Abbey was exhausted. Jed stepped in to relieve his wife, but quickly found his second daughter wasn't as enamored by his speaking voice and his charm as his first. He bounced up and down holding the baby girl, but it didn't soothe her cries. He patted her back gently, but she simply screeched at his touch. Finally, he remembered an approach that worked with Elizabeth and so he took a chance. He sang to her.

Isn't she lovely

Isn't she wonderful

Isn't she precious

Less than one minute old

I never thought through love we'd be

Making one as lovely as she

But isn't she lovely made from love

He stopped suddenly, the realization of her silence hitting him with abrupt force. She stared at Jed as if mesmerized by his lips and the lyrics that escaped them.

"You like that? Huh. Your sister did too. Maybe I missed my calling in life. Maybe I should have been a musician. Maybe I still will." He grinned wickedly at the thought. "My father would love that. So would your mother." There was no mistaking the big smile that took over Ellie's face, squinting her eyes and stretching her tiny cheeks. "Don't you laugh at me. I'll tell them it was all your idea."

It was perfect. He held Ellie firmly, her tiny, squirming body expanding with every breath she took. It was sheer perfection, a journey through a utopia he couldn't explain.

Jed Bartlet was a man with many doubts. The ones that usually resurfaced were the ones that were chiseled into his soul. But as he looked into the sparkling innocent eyes of his youngest offspring, it was obvious one particular doubt had vanished.

He didn't dare admit to Abbey that he questioned how to divide his love between his two daughters. He felt such a deep affection for Elizabeth that he imagined it impossible to love another child as much. As a result, he feared the younger Bartlet would be deprived of the bond he shared with her older sister.

But now he knew just how easy it was for the two girls to tug on his heartstrings equally and force him to stretch his love to envelop them both. It was an exhilarating grasp of reality that led him to that epiphany, one that he'd never forget nor trivialize. And so he savored the moment and sat on the couch with the quiet infant cradled in his arms.

That was how Abbey found him the next morning.

Jed leaned against the back cushions, his eyes closed, obviously taking advantage of an opportunity for a quick catnap. His hands were perfectly positioned to support a sleeping Ellie.

The image of father and daughter reclining so comfortably was too sweet for Abbey to ignore. After rummaging through the bedroom for a camera, she snapped a picture of the napping duo.

"Good morning," she said when Jed's eyes widened in response to the flash.

"Hey." He immediately felt the weight on his arms and stared down at Ellie. "Sorry, I guess I dozed off."

"She's fine." She bent down to scoop the baby up from his lap. "What time did you get up with her?"

"Around three. I didn't want her crying to wake you."

"You got her to settle down all by yourself?"

"It's not exactly unheard of," he teased. "I have done this before, you know."

"Yeah, but never with Ellie."

Jed conceded. It was his first successful attempt at calming his newborn daughter and nothing could taint the pride that radiated from within him. He put one little girl to bed and it was time to wake the other.

Liz stirred slightly when he crept into her room and sank down beside her bed. With the tips of two fingers, he lightly brushed her cheek, clearing it of a couple of strands of stray hair. "Hey, Angel. You ready to wake up?"

Avoiding his hand, she buried her face deeper into her pillow. "No."

"Come on, Sweetheart. It's time to go to school."

Her eyes blinked rapidly adjusting to the light. "I don't wanna go to school today."

"Aw, come on. You love school. Don't you?"

"I wanna stay home."

Telling him about the chaos that surrounded Roxbury wasn't an option. He had been so proud of her on her first day of class. He had called her his brave little trooper for weathering the protesters and returning home with a spring in her step, absolutely delighted about this new experience. She relished his pride and wouldn't disappoint him.

"Home? Home is boring. You get to go to school and play with all your friends." The sound of giggles echoed through the room as he playfully removed her blanket. "Don't you want to see your friends?"

"Yeah," she replied. Saying the words she wanted to was hard, but suppressing her displeasure was sometimes harder. She opened her mouth, but simply bit down on her lip when he began talking.

"I'll make you some banana pancakes. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Her favorite breakfast dish always tempted her.

"Yeah!" And there was the return of her smile.

With a glimmer of excitement now visible, he kissed her forehead and headed out of the room. But it didn't end there. Liz really didn't want to go to school and though her instincts nipped at her conscious and she debated telling her parents why, it was easier to replace her true reasons with a deceptive motive.

"Can't I stay home today and play with Ellie?" she asked Abbey.

"Lizzie, we've been over this. You have to go to school. Now go get your backpack and I'll take you to the bus stop."

"Please, can't I stay here with you?"

Abbey took a break from packing her lunch to cup her chin and lift her head. "What did I say the last ten times you asked me?"

"No," she answered sadly, now lowering her head back down.

"I'm not going to change my mind." With a pat on her back, she sent her to her room. "Go get your things."

The stubborn six year old did as she was told, but she wouldn't surrender her quest to evade the potentially terrifying experience of another day at school. Only hours after classes began, she feigned a stomach ache that caused Abbey to rush to her side.

"Mommy!" she called out when she saw Abbey frantically entering the building.

"Are you okay, Sweetie?"

"It hurts," she said with an arm wrapped around her belly.

Abbey pressed the back of her hand against Liz's forehead. "No fever."

"Mrs. Bartlet, she seems to be fine other than a little dull ache in her tummy. There's always something going around the school, so we figured better safe than sorry."

"Yes, of course. Thank you so much for calling me. Come on, Baby Doll." Just as Abbey lifted her up to carry her out, she noticed a slight smile curving Liz's lips. Once out in the parking lot, she pulled the young girl's body away from her own to look at her face. "Elizabeth, what's going on?"

"I'm sick."

"No, you're not. Tell me what this is all about."

Liz collapsed her head against her mother's shoulder, a defiant sign that she was avoiding the question. Abbey sat her down in the car and spent the silent drive back home contemplating how she would tackle the newest phase of Liz's rebellion.

"I have a stomach ache," Elizabeth emphatically insisted as Abbey tucked her into bed.

"Fine, then I'm going to get you some medicine."

"NO!" she screamed.

"Well if your tummy hurts, you should probably have some medicine." Liz didn't respond verbally, but the creases of her frown deepened. "You know, if you came home to play with Ellie, I had to drop her off at the sitter when you called, so she's not even here." Her frustration intensified when Liz turned away from her. "Did you forget what happens when you lie to me?" She gently turned her back around and sighed at the tears that were wetting her lashes, causing her to backtrack and adopt a softer, more loving tone. "Lizzie. Baby, you know you can tell me anything. No matter what it is, all I want to do is help you."

"I don't wanna go to school." Only a mother could understand the jumbled words that came out in the middle of her cries.

Abbey softly blotted her eyes with a tissue. "Why not?"

"They were mean," she said quietly as she gasped for air.

"Who was mean? Did someone say something?"

Liz nodded and swallowed hard in an effort to catch her breath. "They said I shouldn't be there. They said I should go back to my own school. They yelled at me!" She was now shouting in outrage.

"Who did? Who said this to you?"

"Those people holding the signs!" The sobs fiercely shook her body.

"Oh, Sweetheart." Abbey lifted her off the bed and held her tightly against her chest. "I'm so sorry they hurt your feelings."

"I don't wanna go back. Please don't make me."

If there was such a thing as a broken heart, Abbey now knew what it felt like. Her daughter's anguish cut her like a knife and at that moment, she'd agree to never send Lizzie to a place that made her so miserable.

But there was something else to consider, something that Jed felt compelled to point out.

"She has to go back, Abbey. You can't pull her out."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because that's a horrible message to send her and you know it."

"Aren't you the one who said you didn't want her to go to a school where she'd feel unwelcomed? Aren't you the one who was against this from the start?"

"Yes, but I...I was wrong. What's happening out there is happening because things are changing. It's going to be rocky for a while, but it'll happen."

"How long do I have to stand by and watch my daughter miserable at school before things change, Jed?"

"You're over-reacting, Honey. We're talking about two people who told her to go back to her old school. That kind of stuff is happening all over town." If only he knew that she had been physically struck during one of these confrontations perhaps he'd take a different stand.

"But she's scared," Abbey argued.

"I know she's scared, but what are you going to do when the playground bully tells her to go home? Are you going to find her another playground? Are you going to teach her that whenever someone else doesn't want her somewhere, she should swallow her rights and concede?"

"She's a little girl, Jed. There's plenty of time for her learn to stand up for herself."

"And it starts now. She needs to go back. She needs to take on these bastards who think that by intimidating children, their voices will be heard."

"This isn't the playground bully. These are adults...and they're scaring these children."

"You don't think I know that?" He took a breath to lower his voice. "It kills me that she's so upset. I wish I could take away all her fears. I wish I could do something to help all the kids who are facing exactly what she's facing, but I can't. Busing is necessary. It's unfortunate, but it's necessary."

"I'm not talking about what is or isn't necessary. I'm talking about my baby girl being sent to a school where she feels like an outsider." She looked away from him and faced Liz's bedroom door. "I don't want to send her back there." His hand grasped her arm and turned her towards him.

"We have to," he insisted. "You know I'm right about this. If we cower to the manipulation of these idiots, they win. I know you're worried and so am I, but there hasn't been any violence at the elementary school. The teachers and administrators are keeping the kids safe."

Abbey crossed in front of him in silence.

"Integrating the schools is going to do wonders for Boston's future, for the future of all these kids, including ours," he continued. "We can't let her think it's okay to give up, that what the protesters are saying is true. We can't send her that message. We can't set that precedent."

She spun around with a reluctant nod. His argument was convincing. He made valid points and even Abbey couldn't deny that keeping Liz at home would damage her fortitude and undermine what little power she had as a child. Liz would have to return and it would be up to Jed to tell her.

"You're going to have so much fun at school, Lizzie," he said as he stroked her forehead while she laid in bed. "Do you guys still have the bunny rabbit?"

"Uh huh."

"Do you get to pet him?"

"All the time."

"See? That's something you can't do at home." He leaned in closer and twisted his fingers around her hair, just the way she liked it.

"I don't like school anymore."

"That's partly my fault?"

"You're fault?" she quizzed him.

"Yeah. I'm the one who filled your head with all that nonsense about you not being welcome at that school. I was wrong, Sweetheart. I was wrong not to tell you how important it is, what you're doing."

"It is?"

"Yeah. See, those people who yelled at you, Lizzie, they're ignorant. They don't understand what's going on so instead of educating themselves, they're lashing out at you and all your classmates. You have to stand up to them just the way you have been."

"How?"

"By continuing to go to school. That's all you have to do. Just go to school. You have to be my brave little trooper for a little while longer."

"And then what?"

"And then they'll back off."

"They will?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"I don't know. But if you let them win, they'll think they were right. And they're not. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to be a hero. You're going to be my hero, always, because you will have taken them on and gone to school with your head held high regardless of what they say. Can you do that?"

"Okay."

A direct request from her father would always be honored. And so she didn't complain. She simply woke up the next morning and got herself ready to face the angry mobs that monopolized her nightmares.

The bus ride was a bumpy one. The violence had escalated and the driver was now forced to careen between crowds of demonstrators who had assembled to block the path.

Liz sat in her seat and stared out the window, her mind replaying her father's words. She was going to be brave, just like he asked of her. It was a nice sentiment, but not very realistic. Soon, her emotions took over and the terror that raged inside her manifested into a flood of tears. She stared outside, making direct eye contact with quite a few of them, but it did no good. She flinched violently at the impact of a rock that bounced off her window. Then another, and another, until the bus' windows began to shatter.

Her sobs became louder with every menacing throw and every duck to avoid the flying debris that was no longer repelling off the shelter of the glass. Her head rested on the seat in front of her, her hands gripped each other tightly, and her nails dug into her skin.

The driver was desperate to escape the scene. One stomp on the gas pedal forced the vehicle to lose control, wedging from side to side as the elementary school students screamed and fell into the aisles. With a harsh crash, the bus hit a tree just before it was struck by another car.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. It was silent on board as the passengers lay motionless one on top of the other.

In the middle of the bus, snuggled tightly between the seats, a frightened Lizzie landed on her back. Her eyes closed, there was no effort to stop the stream of blood that was gushing from her face and dampening her hair, or rub off the shards of glass that littered her body. Like the rest of her schoolmates, she had been knocked unconscious by her injuries.

- - -

Meanwhile, it was a familiar siren that Abbey heard as she walked through the double doors of the emergency room to begin her shift. The hospital was gearing up for a bus accident. This, she knew. It was a school bus accident. This, she would soon find out.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed convinced Liz to return to school despite her fears; After being confronted by protesters, Liz's bus crashed; Abbey began her shift at the hospital only to realize droves of injured school children were about to be brought in

Summary: Jed and Abbey rush to their daughter's beside; After a bitter argument with Abbey, Jed's guilt motivates him to look for a solution

- - -

Abbey's dash through the halls was perfectly normal for a hysterical mother, but for a doctor-in-training, her emotions would have to be kept at bay. That was the tricky part. She found herself circling around in one spot as her eyes scanned the gurneys rushing past her.

It was a nightmare she had already confronted on the first day of school, but this time, there was a difference. This time, she recognized some faces. She knew this was Lizzie's bus and it was only a matter of time before her own daughter would be wheeled in.

A pair of strong hands gripped her shoulders, causing her to shudder in terror.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you," Millie assured her.

"Where is she? Where's Lizzie?"

"I don't know. But we need to get you out of here."

"NO! I'm not going anywhere without my daughter."

The rapid exchange was interrupted by a stretcher carrying Elizabeth into the emergency room. Abbey pushed Millie aside and ran to the young girl.

"Lizzie! Lizzie, Sweetie, it's Mommy!"

She didn't dare touch her or the straps that kept her glued to the stretcher. Cuts and bruises outlined every feature on her face, her chestnut hair was stained by blood, and her small body looked limp and broken.

"Abbey, we need you to get out of the way!" Millie insisted.

"I said NO! I want to be with her!"

"You can get out of the way so we can help your daughter or you can prevent us from giving her the medical attention she needs!" She regretted having to use such an edgy tone with her friend, but a harsh dose of reality was exactly what Abbey needed.

It pained her to do so, but she relented, forced to stand motionless in the confines of the chaotic activity that surrounded her. She took in the movement around her. The sounds of familiar hospital equipment used to treat or resuscitate patients. Her daughter's peers, some clinging to life, were scattered around the room and the terrifying thoughts that consumed her were crippling her with fear.

Jed. She had to call Jed. She couldn't allow him to hear about it through the broadcast media. Dialing a phone was a task that never took much effort, until now. Her hands shaking violently, she dug deep inside herself to pull out the strength she needed to stabilize her emotions.

"Jed?"

He could hear the alarm in her voice, immediately alerting him to the fact that something was terribly wrong. "Abbey, what is it?"

"I need you to come to the hospital. Please hurry. And don't turn on the radio."

"What's going on?"

She paused, subconsciously wondering how she would break the news without causing another accident. "Lizzie's bus crashed." That wasn't the way to do it.

"What?" He shouted into the phone, hysterically.

"Jed, it's okay. I saw her and I think she's going to be okay, but I need you here."

"I'm on my way!" A move to hang up the phone was quickly retracted. "Abbey?"

"Yeah?"

"Is she hurt badly?"

"I don't know yet," she choked out. "But you need to come. Please."

The fact that her words were broken, that her breath was defined by a trail of tears convinced him not to question her further. He had the relevant information and the rest he would learn when he arrived at the hospital.

Abbey put the phone in its cradle, her attention now captivated by the swarm of police officers who stormed the E.R.

"Excuse me?" she called out to one of them. "My daughter was just brought in...the bus accident. Can you tell me what happened?"

Her shaky demeanor caught the officer's eye immediately. "We don't really know. There was a mob of protesters, the bus driver lost control. That's all we know right now."

"Did they cause the accident...the protesters? Did they overturn the bus?"

"No, the bus hit a tree and was struck by another vehicle. A couple of witnesses say they threw rocks at the kids and the driver was trying to get them out of there. I'm sorry, Ma'am, we just don't have any other details."

Right now, she didn't need details. She may ask for them later, but for the time being, she had her answer. Less than twenty-four hours earlier, Lizzie had begged her not to make her go to school and now, she'd have to live with the overwhelming guilt that came with not listening to her daughter's plea. And guilt wasn't the only thing clouding her judgment. Once she saw Jed, it was blame.

He ran from his car, pushing the double doors with full force. Abbey caught the commotion and sprinted towards him. He practically leapt into her arms, his erratic thoughts overshadowing his concern when she didn't return his tight embrace.

"What happened?"

"Her school bus..."

"I know. The announcer said the police are investigating?" It was more a question than a statement.

"I told you not to listen to the radio," she replied coldly.

He separated their bodies and gripped her shoulders in an effort to lock into her gaze. "Abbey, you have to level with me here. How bad is it?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "She was unconscious. There was so much blood, I couldn't even tell where her injuries were located."

He walked away from her, clinching his fists at his side. "This is my fault." She didn't respond. "They said those damn protesters...they surrounded the bus. They caused this accident."

The guilt that ate away at him made him physically ill. He ran to the bathroom several times, unable to control the tangible sensations that came with the remorse. Abbey stood outside the door, pacing back and forth rapidly while teetering on the brink of a meltdown.

"Abbey?" Millie waited by the entrance that led to the main hospital.

Abbey ran to her with eyes lit by hope. "How is she?"

"Doctor James is taking good care of her. She's still not awake, but if you want, I can take you back."

"Yes, please."

Millie followed her eyes to Jed. "Would you like to join us?"

"Yeah, okay," Jed replied. He had stayed back for fear he would get sick again, fear that Abbey wouldn't want him close, fear that he couldn't face Liz. But he had to. He had to see her with his own eyes.

It was a long walk down the gloomy hospital corridor. Liz had been taken to a triage room where patients were separated by only a thin curtain. She was stretched out over the big, white bed, her body looking particularly small and fragile. Her face had been cleaned of the blood, making way for the appearance of prominent cuts and the unmistakable cast that covered her nose. Her right cheek was bandaged with white gauze, obviously masking a deeper wound.

Abbey skirted around Jed to make her way to the bed. She ran her fingers over Liz's skin lifting her tips around the edge of the various scrapes and bumps. Jed stood on the other side and bent down, allowing his lips to gently graze her face, careful not to press them into her flesh.

"Please tell me she's going to be all right," Abbey pleaded with the doctor.

"She doesn't have any life-threatening injuries, but she's pretty banged up. She's still unconscious..."

"Any major head trauma?"

"No. She'll be fine in that respect. But she does have a broken nose and her face was cut by flying glass. We had to stitch her up. She's going to have quite a scar."

"My poor little baby," Her words were stunted by overwrought emotions.

"We can deal with all of that, but our first priority is getting her to wake up."

"How?" Jed asked.

"Excuse me?"

"How do we wake her up? Tell me how to do it."

"Once we get her to her own room, you can talk to her, sit with her, whatever it takes. But we'd prefer she wake up on her own," the doctor replied. "If you'll allow me a few more minutes, we just need to finish up a couple of tests and then we'll see about getting her moved."

Jed grasped Abbey's hand to lead her out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, she slipped her fingers from his and parted direction, heading towards the portico outside.

He approached her slowly as watched her lean against the pillar closest to the building. He needed reassurance and Abbey was the only one who could give it to him. "I shouldn't have sent her back to school. I should have listened to you."

Reassurance isn't what he got. "Jed, please. I don't have the time or the energy to help you ease your conscience right now."

Stung by her reaction, he lowered his head and paused to gather his thoughts. But that didn't stop Abbey from continuing.

"I told you she was scared."

His head snapped up as if jolted back to reality. "Abbey."

"I told you it wasn't safe."

Every word cut his heart. "Please don't do this, not now."

"You told me it was. You promised me it was going to be fine!" She raised her voice slightly, the way she usually did just before a major explosion.

"I had no way of knowing..."

She walked rapidly towards him, closing the gap between them. "Oh really? What about all the pictures on the news? What about all the stories I told you about the kids at the hospital? Did you think we were immune to it? Did you think it wouldn't happen to us?"

"This isn't about being right, Abbey."

She tilted her head in the same direction as his, forcing him to make eye contact. "You're damn right it's not. It's about the fact that you're so obsessed with making a point that you've lost touch with the reality of the situation!"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that there is a war going on right outside our apartment and you can't do a damn thing to stop it, so you sent Lizzie into the battlefield to fight it for you. That's what this is all about."

She couldn't really believe that, he reasoned. "No, I'll tell you what it's about. It's about the bigots in the world who think that by targeting kids they can continue to spew their venomous hatred! It has to stop!"

"You see, this is exactly what I mean! You're so concerned about the world being a better place. Guess what, for once, I don't give a damn about the rest of the world. All I care about is the fact that my daughter could have been killed!"

"That's what I care about too," he countered in a tearful response.

"No, you don't." If there was a dangerous line not to cross, she had just crossed it. She stepped closer to him as he turned from her furiously. "Your first priority is ensuring Boston is a safer place years from now, for everyone else's child! To hell with your own!"

Jed whirled around to face her. "You know that isn't true."

Millie took small, careful steps towards the feuding couple and gingerly tried to intervene. "The last thing Lizzie needs is you guys blaming one another."

She was ignored.

"I told you to pull her out of that school," Abbey reminded Jed. "I begged you. Your response was that if we do, then they win."

"They do win!" He struck back, a bit more forcefully now.

"Making a political statement was more important to you, and it still is! Well, congratulations. Now you have a visual aid. Lizzie will come in quite handy when you start booking speaking engagements on the hazards of racism." Obviously, he didn't hold the patent on sarcastic retorts.

His lips were pursed together tightly to restrain himself from saying something he'd later regret. "Maybe I will do that. And on the way, I'll pick you up a few signs so you can join all the other ignorant protesters out there." So much for that.

He turned sharply away from her and practically sprinted down the hall.

"Jed!" Millie called out as she ran after him.

He stopped and approached her swiftly. "Do me a favor. If Lizzie wakes up, tell her I'll be back?" he asked.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to get out of here for a while. I can't stay here."

"Lizzie needs you here, Jed."

"I can't face her right now, and I really can't face Abbey."

It was the silent agony that came through in his body language that persuaded Millie to back away and allow him to leave.

As much as he hated to admit it, Abbey was right. He was guilty of every accusation she threw at him. It was Jed Bartlet's rose-colored glasses that sometimes tainted the reality of the world. He truly believed that change begins with every person, no matter how young or how old, how tiny or how tall. It didn't matter.

Until now.

His little girl was terrorized and he could no longer allow himself to overlook the sinister danger that stirred around Boston. Busing was mandatory. If he were to keep her in the public school system, there was no way around it, no loophole in the system, no recourse for a worried parent who couldn't come to grips with the menacing atmosphere around the city.

He repeatedly drove around the block for a short time before arriving at a place he would try to find comfort -- his university. His first priority was to call the hospital only to be told that Liz hadn't woken up.

A quick sweep of the halls immediately after, helped him round up the colleagues with whom he had built a relationship. They gathered in an empty classroom, eager to hear what they were told was going to be a controversial proposal.

"This is going to be quick because I have to get back to the hospital," he started. "My daughter, Elizabeth was injured in a school bus accident this morning."

His audience had already heard the troubling news.

"Abbey told me not to send her back to school. She said it would be dangerous and I disagreed with her and now I wonder how many other fathers are making that same mistake." He struck a chord with some of the other parents in the room. "We all love our children and the city has left us with no options, especially now, in the middle of the school year, too late to start private school. I hear some parents are pulling their kids and simply sacrificing the rest of the year."

They were listening attentively with nods and looks of agreement. Many had had similar discussions with their spouses.

"It's true. My Julie was hit in the stomach with a rock yesterday. Her mother and I kept her home today. We don't know what we're going to do tomorrow." Alan Miliken was a Jamaican man whose daughter was transferred from her all-black school in Roxbury to a school in South Boston, the exact opposite situation from the Bartlets.

"I'm hearing it too. So what's the solution?"

"I'm not sure it's a long-term solution, but I, for one, won't send my kid back to school and it's unfair -- to her and to the other students who are going to be a year behind," Jed answered. "We're professors, highly educated individuals. Every night, we could bring the kids here. Every night, we could teach them, on our own time, in our own classrooms."

A novel approach to a rising problem was always worth a try. And so they discussed the details of Jed's suggestion. How would it work? What grades would they teach? Would it be underground or would the public have easy access? But logistics aside, there were two obstacles they'd have to overcome fairly quickly.

"Can we do it here? Will the university allow us to?"

Jed had already sketched out an answer to most of the questions. "I doubt that'll be a problem. The President has two sons in public school."

"What about legal ramifications? Is this legal?" That question lingered in the air, as the men exchanged glances.

"It can be," one of them finally said. "I know a couple of state senators who are on our side. They've been itching for a chance to call an emergency session, introduce a bill to help alleviate the chaos."

After briefly contemplating the idea, Jed was reenergized. "There's protocol here. This is a municipal issue first. If we get nowhere with city leaders, then we'll get the senators on the phone and start lobbying the state house."

"What makes you think the Mayor is going to listen all of a sudden?"

"Because we have something we never had before -- an alternative," Jed replied.

"We'll arrange a meeting with the architects of the plan and the presidents of the other universities," another professor added.

"Absolutely. We need to build a network of university professors around Boston, each university will be involved with a particular school. If we can do that, the city officials will be forced to at least listen to us."

So it all came down to this - seven professors, five of them fathers, huddled in a room, exchanging the names of various other professors in the city who could offer them support in rallying for change. Jed knew it would be an uphill climb, but the image of Lizzie lying in a hospital bed, battered and bruised, now shaded those unforgettable rose-colored glasses. It was time to take a stand.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed and Abbey exchanged heated words in the aftermath of Lizzie's accident; Lizzie remained unconscious with a broken nose and a deep cut on her face; Jed involved his colleagues in a proposed solution to keep the kids safe

Summary: Abbey agrees to help Jed; Lizzie opens her eyes

- - -

Quietly, Jed opened the door and peaked his head through the crack before entering the room. The dark, dreary hospital room he tried to brighten with a bouquet of assorted flowers and a giant teddy bear he had bought for Liz only seemed darker and drearier than once he stifled the bit of light escaping the halls of the corridor. He walked slowly to the bed where she lay with her eyes closed, her hand in her mother's. Abbey sat on the edge of the bed. Other than a throwing a glance in his direction, her eyes never left her daughter.

He set the flowers on the table next to them and placed the white bear against the pillow after placing a soft kiss on Liz's forehead.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. It's time to wake up." Nestled under his arm was the Candyland game. He pulled it out and set it down beside her. "I want you to show me how it is you always manage to win this game. I'll play as many times as you want. You just have to promise to let me win just once." He looked to Abbey when he got no response.

"She's starting to wake up. It's just taking her some time because of the medicine."

Jed's nod was the only indication that he was listening to anything other than the sounds of the guilt-driven voices that had been running through his head. He looked disheveled and exhausted. His mussed hair drew her eyes away from his stoic face and she knew he had been fighting a battle with himself all day.

He stepped away from the bed and around to the other side of the room, taking a seat in a chair in the corner. His chin rested on top of his hands with his fingers threaded. After a few moments and a deep intake of breath, he tipped his head, anchoring the top against his hands.

Abbey watched his worn body stiffen at the sound of her footsteps. It was probably an involuntary reaction, the result of their last conversation.

He relinquished his left hand when she reached for it as she sat down to next him. "My parents are on their way over."

"Good."

She struggled to find the right way to bring it up, but she repeatedly asked herself if there even was a right way. She didn't know the answer. "I said something truly awful earlier."

He didn't respond immediately. A few minutes of silence lingered in the air before he spoke. "You weren't the only one."

"I'm sorry, Jed. I'd give anything to take it back."

He glided his thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand. "So would I."

An admission of regret couldn't erase the harsh words, but a proper reconciliation scene wasn't on anyone's priority list right now. It could wait.

"When she was a baby, all I had to do to keep her safe was to wrap her up in my arms to physically shield her from danger."

"Yeah."

"And now, when I send her off to school, I want to know that she's going to return home at the end of the day. I want to know that and I don't. I don't know it, Jed."

His fingers pressed harder into hers and the comforting squeeze was the only thing that kept her from breaking down. "None of us do."

"I know you're her father. I know we're supposed to be a team and we're supposed to make decisions together..." She paused suddenly and waited until he looked to her to continue. "...but I'm pulling her out of school, with or without your support."

A blunt declaration, indeed. But it was said out of love for her child, not her anger towards him.

"You have my support," he replied.

He gave in. He relented without any coercion, at least not from her. The best persuasive argument in the world was bottled up in a little girl lying on a bed five feet in front of him.

She was tiny, he thought. She wasn't a baby anymore, but she just looked so tiny to him. Memories of the past six and a half years flashed through his mind and each and every spark was interrupted with a silent prayer of gratitude that she was now safe and that she would eventually recover.

"Daddy?"

Like a starter pistol causing runners to spring into action, Lizzie's voice jolted the somber mood in the room. Jed and Abbey raced to her side.

"Yes, Sweetie. I'm right here."

Her lashes fluttered until her blurry vision finally made contact with Abbey. "Mommy?"

"How do you feel, Angel?"

She shrugged slightly. "I hurt."

"What hurts? What part of you?"

"My face," she answered slowly, as if not completely certain about the location of her pain.

Abbey followed her eyes down to the IV that pricked her skin. "I'm so sorry. That's going to have be in there for just a bit longer. It's putting medicine in your body so you won't hurt so badly."

"Abbey, should we..."

"I'll get her doctor," Abbey finished.

His daughter's hand in his, Jed did nothing to stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks. They were tears of jubilation, only outdone by the enormous smile that impeded their progress down the designated trail.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" Observant as always, even though she was struggling to form her words.

"Because I'm so proud of you," he answered with a laugh.

"Why?"

"Do you remember what happened? Do you know why you're in the hospital?" She shook her head only slightly, then flinched from the pain. "It's okay. Just lay still, Sweetheart," he calmly directed her as he ran his hand over her forehead. "We'll tell you all about it later, but I just want you to know that you're a hero."

Jed had asked her to be a hero when he persuaded her to return to school the night before. Intertwined with all the regrets that had swirled through his brain during the course of the day, was the fact that he didn't tell her something he should have. He never told her that she was already his hero.

Liz gave him a tight smile. Her hand reached up to touch the white bandage that wrinkled against the sliced skin of her cheek. "What's this?"

If only Abbey was there to answer that question. He looked to the door and realized it was completely up to him. "You have a little cut."

"It hurts."

He would stab himself in an instant if it would take away Liz's pain. But it wouldn't. Nothing would. Even time doesn't heal all wounds. The ones etched on a person's heart just can't be repaired. His daughter was strong, he knew that. But for a little girl as innocent as Elizabeth Bartlet, he was convinced the ordeal would have immeasurable affects, both physically and emotionally, some of which were still unimaginable.

It wasn't long before Abbey returned with Dr. James. She stood next to her husband, with one hand extended to rub Liz's shoulder in vertical motions, just as she did when she rocked her to sleep as a baby.

"I'm going to stay here with her tonight," she whispered to Jed. "Can you take care of Ellie?"

"Of course. And at some point, I'd like to discuss..."

He cut himself off when a nurse opened the door, precariously handing him a large vase crowded with flowers. "These are for you."

"Not my daughter?"

"They were addressed to you."

Abbey ripped the card from his hand teasingly. "Did you go out trolling for women when you left here?"

"Abbey..." It was a lighthearted warning, said with a chuckle as she handed the card back to him.

His eyes narrowed when he read the note.

"What is it?"

He glanced up at her then sighed and read it aloud. "Jed, I want to send Elizabeth my warmest wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery. From now on, I'm sending them through you." His lips curled under and he turned away to discard the plastic. "They're from my father."

"That's nice."

"It is. He must have heard it on the news and called the hospital."

"Are they for me, Daddy?"

"They certainly are, Angel. I'm going to put them on that table right there for you."

Abbey moved her hand to give the doctor better access to Liz and signaled Jed to follow her to the other side of the room. Both of them leaned against the wall, but kept their eyes focused on Liz.

"Seriously, I never asked you. Where did you go?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I went to the university. I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"Would you be all right with Lizzie being schooled by the professors on campus?" She turned her body to face him directly as he continued. "It would be at night. It wouldn't just be her. We'd like to propose that parents who pull their kids out of the public schools have another option."

"We?"

"My colleagues and I. I'd be teaching fifth grade. Roger Wilkinson would teach Lizzie and the other first graders." He couldn't gauge her reaction. Her facial expressions were his only barometer.

"It would be open to everyone?" she asked after a brief pause.

"They would be integrated classrooms, yes."

She nodded as she lowered her head in apprehension, knowing the question she was about to ask might just start another disagreement. "Jed, don't think I'm against integration, but what's to stop protesters from invading the campus?"

Her concern was valid though he wished it hadn't been expressed with such trepidation. "Campus security and trespassing laws. Besides, we would be with the kids. No busses, no children walking to class on their own. It would have to be a joint effort between parents and the universities."

"Universities?"

"Yeah. We want to make it available throughout the city. I could use your help, actually."

Through the momentary confusion, she felt relieved that he was asking her to be part of whatever he had planned. "What can I do?"

"You still have contacts at Boston U.?"

"Yeah."

"And now that you're studying at Harvard, I figured..."

"Whatever you need. I'll talk to the professors, get you some names, maybe help you build your network."

This was what he loved most about her. Her passion. Even in a whisper, a glimmer of fervor defined her every word. The fire in her eyes that had been extinguished before by a feeling of helplessness, was reignited and this time, the flame was too bright to ignore.

"That would be great." She wanted to help. He wanted her help. They always made such a wonderfully productive team. He had no doubt Abbey would move mountains for this cause.

So why, she wondered, did she sense an ambiguous inflection in his tone, possibly due to the dismay she recognized in the way he tilted his head away from her. "But...?"

"I just know you have a lot on your plate right now with commencement coming up and interviews for residency, internship. My point is, if you don't have the time..."

She silenced him with her raised hands. "I'll make the time."

His smile was an attempt to the alleviate some of the awkwardness between them. It didn't work. "Abbey, I'm sorry, for not listening to you about Lizzie, for sending her back to school, for what I said to you before, for everything. I'm sorry."

She shook her head at his apology. Of course he felt guilty. But he wasn't the only one. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you. It wasn't your fault."

Whether she meant it or not, he needed to hear that. He replayed the words several times, but the sentiment was lost somewhere in his subconscious. He wondered if that was such a bad thing, at least for the time being. While they waited for Lizzie to open her eyes, his prayers were consumed with anger towards the vengeful God that would allow this to happen to innocent children. But that anger was clouded with something much more sinister. He found out quickly there's no emotion more powerful than remorse.

It was his guide to a solution and it would be his guide to the end of a journey he had just begun.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Lizzie woke up!

Summary: Jed is still feeling guilty after he sees the affects of Liz's injury

- - -

Christmas in New England isn't quite as cliché as it might sound. The charming towns and quaint little villages that encompass the region really are blanketed with fresh snow that overlaps their confines and spills into the larger cities. Holiday shoppers actually do walk to their destination, usually in groups, crossing Center Street, under the large green archways that symbolize the festive season.

They don't shop at malls. They prefer the small boutiques and Mom and Pop shops that line their village's busiest street. This time of year, Christmas colors adorn the storefronts, angels and stars are placed prominently in the windows, and homemade ornaments and other tidy gifts intrigue passersby.

Sometimes, if you listen closely, the sounds of carolers can be heard echoing into the heart of town over the bustling noise of pedestrian shoppers. Each and every view is a postcard waiting to be captured and to a young girl, the magic of the season comes alive with the roaming Santa spreading holiday wishes.

"Daddy! Daddy! It's Santa Claus. Can I go talk to him? Pretty please?"

Elizabeth was never a shy child. Her enthusiasm usually outstretched her tiny frame and even the limited boundaries of a moving vehicle couldn't restrain her larger-than-life gestures.

"Of course you can. Let me just find a place to park," Jed answered her.

He had only taken Liz to New Hampshire once before and just like now, she pressed her little nose up against the window, overwhelmed with excitement. The roaring sounds of the big city were gone, replaced by quiet and peaceful neighborhoods and the laughter coming from the quintessential town square, where children her own age ran freely to throw pennies into the icy fountain. Ice skaters glided through the air and spun around on the frozen ponds throughout the village.

It truly was a winter wonderland.

"Hurry, Daddy! He'll leave!"

"He's not going anywhere, Angel."

"It's Christmas Eve! He has a lot to do!"

Before Jed fully stopped the car, Liz unbuckled her belt and reached for the door handle. "Don't you dare," he warned.

She giggled under her breath and flashed her blue eyes in his direction. "Sorry."

Walking hand-in-hand across the street, he escorted her towards the jolly man in the big red suit. Liz skipped along in a vain effort to pull her father to meet her pace. A light sprinkle of snow gathered on top of her chestnut hair, a few specks even whitening her lashes.

Jed stopped suddenly and turned her towards him. "Hang on, Sweetheart." He pulled her under a nearby awning and bent down to straighten out the bandage that still covered the cut on her right cheek. One week out of the hospital, her injury hadn't healed enough to remove it entirely.

"Daddy!" she whined.

"Mommy's going to kill us if we let it get wet." She flinched when he tightened the tape, accidentally brushing the fabric against the wound. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry."

"That's okay. Let's go!" She grabbed his hand and leapt towards her destination. "Santa! Santa!" she called out.

Santa stopped and turned back immediately to find the little girl still dragging her father along. "Hi there."

She tilted her head to look up at Jed. All her contagious childlike passion escaped her own body and latched on to his in that one glance. He was now as infatuated as she, but the source of his fascination wasn't the conversation with Santa. It was Lizzie's joy. She greeted him with a friendly smile before introducing herself.

Once the meeting with Santa was over, it was time to deal with the reason for the road trip -- Ellie's present. Jed led Liz into the same boutique he visited the year before. The sales clerk handed him a a shiny silver box that Liz was all too eager to open. He lifted the lid and let her peek inside, charmed by the gasp he heard in response.

"You like it?" he asked as he pulled the glass ornament from its sanctuary to reveal Ellie's name hand-painted in lavender.

"Uh huh! It's just like mine but mine is pink."

"That's right. Why don't we tell Ellie this gift is from you to her? Does that sound like a plan?"

She nodded enthusiastically. It's rare that the joy of giving strikes someone so young, but it had. Liz's recuperation period was spent using acrylic art supplies to make ornaments for Ellie. She spent hours gliding the translucent red and colorless crystals into a piece of twine that she then manipulated into the shape of a candy cane.

Her only reward - a smile from baby sister. It was well worth the effort if it made Ellie smile.

But this time, Liz didn't get a smile.

Abbey held the baby in her arms as Liz presented her with the gift-wrapped present Jed had bought. Ellie's tiny fingers grabbed the colorful paper and the three of them began to pull. Once it was open, Liz took out the glass ball. Ellie's attention wasn't on the trinket. It was on the person holding it.

Her eyes fixated on Liz. But it wasn't out of love. It was out of confusion. The seams of Liz's bandage were unraveling and she was left with a tiny gap between the gauze and her skin. When the six-year-old leaned in a bit closer to hug her, Ellie clawed her face as she yanked the fabric with a loud shriek of tears.

Liz screamed along with her, clutching her cheek in pain.

"Ellie!" Abbey moved the baby away from Liz as Jed and Mary ran to help.

"It's okay, Lizzie." He adjusted the bandage then pulled her up into his arms in an effort to comfort her. It didn't work. Her cries were suddenly louder and Jed realized it wasn't the physical pain she was reacting to.

"Sweetie, she just got scared. She doesn't understand," Abbey told her.

When that didn't help, it was up to Jed to try again. "Lizzie, look at me."

With her hands wrapped around his neck, she lifted her head and calmed her sniffles. "What?"

"Did she hurt you?"

Liz buried her head back into his shoulder. She was always good at avoiding questions she didn't want to answer. Jed was even better at getting her to answer them anyway.

"You know, I remember a time when I tried to play a trick on you. I walked in dressed as Santa and you were just a baby. You nearly clawed my eyes out when you reached for the fake eyebrows I glued over my real ones."

"I did?"

"Yeah, you did. It was something unfamiliar and you didn't like it."

"And that's how Ellie feels," Mary added. "She's not used to your bandage. That's all."

Jed turned Liz in Abbey's direction so mother and daughter were face-to-face. Abbey held Ellie up so she could see her mother gently pat her sister's face.

"Look, Ellie. It's okay. It's supposed to be there." Abbey guided the infant's hand so she could feel the material for herself. "See?"

Ellie's confusion faded gradually as Liz leaned in again to hug her. She still didn't get a smile, but she didn't get a shriek of horror either. Unable to control his own emotions, Jed lowered Liz to the ground and headed out the front door, followed almost immediately by Abbey.

She opened the flaps of his winter coat and approached him from behind, folding him up into the satin lining and hovering over the collar with her hands clasped across his chest. "You okay?"

"The bandage is uncomfortable. It's hurting her."

"It's only for a little while longer. The wound is healing."

"Then what? She'll have a permanent scar."

"We don't know that. She might not."

He turned towards her, but took a step back to escape her grasp. "She might," he countered.

"You can't think like that."

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you'd just yell at me. Go ahead. Yell. I can take it."

Abbey squinted her eyes as she struggled to comprehend his sudden mood swing. "What?"

"Better yet, hit me." He opened his arms to give her a target. "Just let out all your anger and hit me. I know you're still pissed."

"I told you at the hospital this was not your fault."

"Yes, you did. You did tell me that. You did, only two hours after you said it WAS my fault, so you'll forgive me if I'm a little confused here."

"Are you picking a fight with me because you're mad at me, or at yourself?"

"Oh no, I'm mad at you and at the school, at the bus driver, at the entire system." He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and took a seat on the cement steps in front of him before continuing. "The cops can't even find the bastards who did this. It was a mob. Everyone's denying ever throwing anything at the bus. Who knows who did what with a crowd of protesters. Or so they say."

She sat down next to him. Close to him. "You don't believe that?"

"I don't know what to believe." He jerked abruptly and slammed his hand into the concrete. "Damn it!"

His hands vibrated with pain from the impact. She covered them with her own, dulling the sting only slightly. "They're still investigating. They haven't closed the case. It'll lead somewhere."

"Yeah." He wasn't convinced. "Sorry I snapped at you. Seems like all I'm doing lately is apologizing for one thing or another -- to you, to Lizzie, even to Ellie."

"Then stop." His dismissive laugh didn't get by undetected. "I'm serious, Jed. I yelled at you at the hospital because I was upset. I wanted someone to blame. And yes, truth be known, I did blame you."

"And now you don't?"

"Now I see how hard you're working to fix this. When is that city council meeting?"

"Next week."

"You're about to change policy all because you took a stand that I was too distraught to take. You did it for Lizzie. I was wrong about what I said. I regret it more than anything in the world. You love your daughter more than your own life and everything you're doing, you're doing for her. The fact that you want to protect other kids in the process...well, that just makes me love you more."

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer towards him. She bent her head to kiss the hand he injured only moments earlier. They mingled closer together, offering the comfort they could only get from one another.

And later, when the girls were asleep and they were alone, they comforted each other more intimately than they had since the accident. The redemption that Jed longed for still wasn't within his reach, but he was inching himself closer to it now that he knew unmistakably that he was doing it with Abbey's support.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

Rated R for violence

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Abbey reached out to a guilt-ridden Jed

Summary: With Leo's encouragement, Jed becomes a leader for change; Jed is targeted

- - -

Change always begins with one person. And if that one person is filled with the intensity and furor of a concerned father, then the determination that takes root inside him is immeasurable. Jed Bartlet was that one person. Elizabeth's accident had launched him from his safety net of a professor to the public spotlight as an advocate for change.

Reporters wanted to know his thoughts. Producers wanted to set up in-studio interviews. And the publicity helped. It gave him a megaphone for his message and soon, all the national headlines that depicted the chaos in Boston now bore his name.

The city council meeting was quickly approaching. With a network of three universities, including Jed's, and nearly 20 professors willing to tutor the public school students, there was little doubt they would get their voices heard.

Would it stifle the protests that plagued the city? That remained to be seen.

It was no secret that Jed counted on the support of his best friend Leo McGarry. With his ESP fully tuned in to the close bond he shared with Jed, Leo showed up in Boston only days before the big meeting.

"So are you nervous?" he asked.

Jed shook his head. He never allowed his nerves to consume him. "Not at all."

"Why the hell not?" Leo teased. "You're staring down a monumental change in city policy, you're taking on the Mayor and the architect of the most controversial public school plan in local history, and you're not nervous? I'd be downing the scotch straight out of the bottle by now."

A lighthearted laugh chased away any lingering apprehension. "I thought you gave that up -- the drinking."

"I did, while Jenny was pregnant."

"What happened?"

"She gave birth." It was a painfully serious truth, but an unaware Jed simply chuckled. "You know what it's like. All the pressure, the stress, the questions. What if you make a mistake? What if you don't do this right or you don't do teach them something they need to know?"

"Yeah. But you know it's worth it, right? Fatherhood?"

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't trade a minute with Mallory for anything in the world. I just think she should have come with a how-to manual."

"Just a warning. It doesn't get any easier. I worry about Lizzie more now than I did when she was a baby."

"Yeah, but you have reason to. And you're doing something about it."

Jed acknowledged his words, but only reluctantly agreed. "I'm trying."

"So is this just the beginning?"

"Beginning of what?"

"Making changes. Come on, don't tell me you haven't thought about it. I got your letter about the schmuck in New Hampshire. What's his name?"

"Elliot Roush."

"Yeah. So take him on."

"In case you haven't noticed, I live in Massachusetts."

"Yeah, but you're a New Hampshire Bartlet. Didn't you say Abbey wanted to buy a house somewhere outside the city?"

"Not across the state line."

"How do you know?"

"Abbey likes Massachusetts. She grew up here. Besides, I've pushed my luck on that score one too many times."

With a nod, Leo conceded. "What's going on with that kid -- the one you refused to fail for organizing a protest?"

"I didn't fail him."

"Good." He wasn't really surprised. Jed was a man who valued freedom above all else.

"Don't get me wrong, I gave it a second-thought after Lizzie's accident. I was pissed at protesters everywhere. They're all over the place, Leo -- protesting the war, the politicians, the laws."

"We have problems in our society. That's why they protest."

"I know why they protest," he responded indignantly.

"So the Dean came down pretty hard on you?" Jed faced him with a quizzical stare. "Abbey told Jenny."

"Yeah, he came down on me."

"And you stood up to him. That's the Jed Bartlet I know. You stood up to him, you're standing up to the city of Boston. That's what you do."

"That's what I do," he repeated.

The prospect of public service had never invaded his thoughts so intimately as it had during that conversation. It wasn't the glamour of the limelight that intrigued him. It was the hope that he could make a difference. Leo was right. This is what he did. This is what he was good at doing.

He was nothing if not idealistic. That idealism pushed the bounds of reality at times, but he was grounded in the belief that people have enormous capacity and limitless boundaries when put to the test.

He was about to find out just how true that sentiment was.

The night of the city council meeting, Boston City Hall was inundated with hundreds of parents, students, and media. Station live trucks lined the curb outside. Cars overflowed the designated parking lot and drivers who were left without a space were forced to walk several blocks.

Jed left the university early to meet Leo before the session began. A few T stops away, protesters chanted as they boarded the train alongside him. Jed smiled ruefully, but with the exception of clutching his briefcase a little tighter, he didn't respond.

He had become a symbol for the university plan. Though he hadn't volunteered to take on the role of official spokesperson, it was common knowledge that his speaking ability was surpassed only by his intellect. The combination enticed reporters, inspired the school committee, and angered a group who rallied for the complete dismantling of the busing ordinance.

No one could argue the validity of the plan, but tensions still ran high. The prospect of minority children being taught at prestigious universities, especially in an integrated environment, was met with harsh criticism, reflective of the racism that ran rampant through Boston. Some people chose to demonstrate that night. Others chose a different way to make a statement.

At first, Jed didn't notice the eight feet that followed him off the train. He didn't hear the clicking at his heels. But when he turned the corner, he could no longer ignore the danger around him.

There were four of them, each dressed in loose pants that hung just beneath the hips. They wore T-shirts splattered with profanity, connected to their jackets with silver or gold chains. Two used baseball caps to cover their heads. One had a bandana. The other, nothing.

After a menacing waltz around the darkened alleyway, Jed's heart was racing. His palms were sweating. "You want to talk about something?" he asked when they blocked his path out of the lion's den.

"No talk. There's been too much talk," one of them answered.

"Fellas, I don't know what this is all about, but..."

"He doesn't know what this is about," another one scoffed. "Not quite the genius he pretends to be, is he?"

"It's about time you learn a lesson of your own, Professor. That's what this is all about."

Jed fell back with a punch to his jaw and before he could regain his balance, he was tackled by all four men. Fists flew back and forth, up and down. He was clearly outnumbered. He used his feet, his hands, his voice. Nothing stopped the attack. He was rendered completely helpless. Helpless and terrified.

Suddenly, one of the men held him by his arms and he braced himself for the onslaught of another strike. His eyes widened with terror as he saw the shiny blade of a pocket knife aimed at him. It glowed in the single spark of light that shone through the street. He approached Jed slowly, threateningly, enjoying every glimmer of fear visible in his eyes.

His personal space completely invaded, Jed held his breath in anticipation of the stinging pain he was sure would accompany a stab wound. But the man didn't stab him. He turned and walked away until he could hear an involuntary sigh of relief, then, with a swift turn, he plunged the knife forward and horizontally sliced Jed's abdomen.

His body slumped forward, all his weight now hanging down. He was dropped to the ground and kicked in the back as he lay bleeding on the pavement. The four men stood above him, not an ounce of remorse escaping their laughs as they watched him try desperately to crawl towards the corner, out in the open.

Still wielding the knife, the man crouched down to the ground and with one fluid movement, he slashed Jed's shoulder, impeding his progress and sucking out any drop of energy and motivation that remained.

They ran from the scene and as the pounding of their shoes faded in the distance, Jed struggled to remain alert. His voice was lost. The pain radiated from every inch of him. He bent his knees and slithered on his back for only a few feet before he was overcome with exhaustion. His eyes fluttered endlessly as his lips formed only one word.

"Abbey."

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Jed was cornered, beaten, and knifed on his way to the city council meeting

Summary: Leo and Abbey find Jed

- - -

Uneasiness.

It's the unexplainable feeling in the pit of your stomach that gives you just a twinge of shakiness. You can't verbalize it because it really has no basis or comparable emotion that accompanies it. You can't treat it because it isn't really an illness or ailment. It's just there to grow and manifest itself into a more serious problem, or simply vanish just as mysteriously as it came.

Uneasiness.

Abbey struggled with it all day. It wasn't nerves or indigestion, but it was a feeling that intensified throughout the evening.

Jenny didn't notice. Partly because Abbey didn't want her to. With a polite smile plastered across her face, she pretended her thoughts weren't being held hostage by the tangible notion of doom that gripped her senses. It worked for a while.

The two women sat at the kitchen table, sharing photographs and stories of their daughters. Ellie sat in her cradle on the floor nearby. Nine-month-old Mallory played with crayons and building blocks on the floor with Lizzie.

Suddenly, the girlish chatter fell silent with a gasp from Abbey. Usually, her reaction to a ringing phone wouldn't elicit such a response, but the sharp intake of breath and small yelp as she ran to answer, alarmed both Lizzie and Jenny and caused even Mallory to turn sharply.

"Hello?"

"Abbey."

She took a more steady breathe as she recognized Leo's voice. "Leo, what's up?"

"Where's Jed?"

She stiffened slightly at the question. "Isn't he with you? At the meeting?"

"No, he's not here. He never showed up."

Her pulse raced with his answer. "Where are you?"

"I'm at city hall." He was eerily calm and undisturbed by Jed's absence.

Perhaps it was facade, orchestrated to keep Abbey from worrying. It didn't work. "I'm on my way."

"No, Abbey! Don't come out here. It's a madhouse. I'm sure he just got tied up at work."

"Leo, he called me and told me he was on his way to city hall. If he never arrived then something is wrong. I'm on my way!" In her haste to hang up the phone, she didn't hear the rest of Leo's protest.

"He's not there?" Jenny asked.

"Mommy?" Liz stood up and faced her mother with uncertainty.

"He's okay, Sweetie. He probably just stopped at the library to organize his argument. You know your father. I'm sure everything's fine." She had asked herself many times if it was ever okay to lie to her children? She finally knew the answer.

"They won't hurt him?"

"No, no, no. No one's going to hurt him. I'm going to go get him and bring him back, okay? But in the meantime, I want you to stay here and help Aunt Jenny take care of Mallory and Ellie. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl." She placed a kiss on Liz's forehead then revealed her more frightened exterior as she turned to her friend. "Jenny, can you..."

"Of course. Call me."

Abbey sprinted out the door, taking on two steps at a time when she reached the front stoop. She never stopped to catch her breath as she leapt onto the train at the T station nearby. Was it a blessing or a curse that she could finally pinpoint the feeling she fought all day? It was Jed. Their close bond has physically alerted her that there was something wrong. And even if it was benign, she was thankful for the warning.

The train stopped every few minutes to load and unload passengers. Her anticipation reached new heights as her fear escalated. Maybe it was just women's intuition -- a phenomenon that Jed mocked unmercifully throughout their married lives -- or maybe she was just overreacting to Leo's phone call. She wouldn't know for sure until she located her husband.

She clutched her wedding ring and twirled it around her finger, leaving tiny indentations of the circular band until the train stopped. She bolted from her car and scurried through the crowds that emptied onto the street outside city hall.

"Leo!" she called as she ran to his side.

"There was a bomb threat just a minute ago. They're abandoning the building."

"Where's Jed?"

"He's not here."

"What happened? Where is he?" She couldn't mask her panic, but fortunately, with Leo, she didn't have to.

"He called you when he left campus, right?"

"Yes. He said he was coming down here and that you and he were going to talk before the meeting."

Leo took her arm and ushered her to a more private corner. "He never arrived."

"Then something happened." Abbey spun around and headed away from the building.

"Where are you going?"

"To find him! He would have gotten off at the T station two blocks from here. I'm going to walk back there. I'm going to hop on the train and take it back to Northeastern until I find him."

"Abbey!" He ran frantically to catch up to her.

"Don't try to stop me, Leo."

"I wasn't going to stop you. I was going to tell you to wait up."

Sirens sounded in the distance. At first, Abbey and Leo assumed they were responding to the bomb threat at city hall. That theory was discarded the second they turned the corner. The crowd that gathered around wasn't chanting. They weren't protesting. A few abandoned signs had fallen to the ground and their owners were frozen in their spots, their eyes ominously looking down.

Abbey looked past them slowly. She scanned the view in front of her, but the vision that captured their attention was eluding hers. She pushed herself through the horde of people and gasped violently at her husband's battered body.

"Jed!" She ran to him, ripping off her coat along the way, her focus so staunch that she didn't even notice the two men crouched down beside him.

They moved out of the way and allowed her room to cover his stomach wound with her coat. Leo volunteered his jacket to keep her warm, but she threw it off her shoulders as she searched Jed's flesh for the source of blood on his arm. Her hands fingered the buttons on her blouse, knowing she needed to immediately stop the exposed opening.

Leo grabbed her hand at her chest and wrapped his jacket around her palm. "Use this."

"It's too thick. I need to keep it tied so I can keep the pressure on his stomach."

He unbuttoned the dress shirt he wore underneath and helped her tie it around Jed's shoulder.

Jed turned towards Abbey. "Abb..." It was a breathless cry, devoid of any power or energy.

"It's okay, Baby. Just lay still. You're okay now."

The sirens grew louder as emergency crews approached, but any amount of relief that washed over Abbey immediately faded when she noticed the color flushing quickly out of Jed's face.

"What's wrong with him?" Leo asked.

"Jed? Jed? Breathe for me. Can you breathe?"

His eyes closed then opened again. He was so relieved to see her. He was so angry that she was seeing him. He would give anything if he could spare her the sight that he knew would haunt her mind forever.

"Jed? ANSWER ME!"

Her words weren't registering. His eyes closed shut and the racing heartbeat she had felt just seconds earlier was quickly winding down.

She removed her legs from under his head and positioned him flat on his back. With his neck arched, she plugged his nose and pressed her mouth to his, blowing two breaths into his limp body.

"Oh God!" Leo looked up for any sign of the ambulance. "They're around the corner. I can hear them!"

His words fell on deaf ears as Abbey continued her rescue breathing. Jed's wounds were sheltered from the air, but it was too late to stop the damage to his lungs.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Leo and Abbey found Jed in an alley; when he stopped breathing, Abbey performed CPR on Jed

Summary: Abbey waits for news on Jed's condition then pledges her support to him

- - -

Abbey paced back and forth in the hospital waiting room. She occasionally gripped the seams of the blanket that had been wrapped around her arms in lieu of the winter coat she sacrificed for Jed's wound. Her sweater was stained with his blood, her hair was a tangled mess. But it didn't even faze her. She had retreated inside herself and except for the brief conversation with police, she hadn't said much to anyone.

Leo's head turned with her every move, his eyes following her in each direction. He knew what she wouldn't say. He knew the images her mind was replaying over and over again. Abbey had saved her husband's life in that alley, but the fear that motivated her to do so still hadn't left her body.

It accompanied her when his breath escaped his mouth and entered hers when she gave him the rescue breaths, when she informed the paramedics about his injuries, when she sat beside him and held his hand during the ambulance ride to the hospital, regaling him with stories of Lizzie and Ellie and reminding him of memories they shared as a family.

And she never once shed a single tear -- not when his breathing was so labored and ragged that she was forced to draw her strength from the horrific thought of losing him and find the energy to fight for them both, not when he turned to her to voice his answers to the EMT's questions because his own speech was soft and lifeless, not when they stormed into the emergency room and abandoned her near the nurse's station, leaving her to clutch her hands tightly to keep her sanity, not even when the doctor came out to tell her of Jed's many injuries, including his most serious, a collapsed lung.

Never had she cried. Instead, she paced. That's how Abbey Bartlet dealt with nerves. Even Leo knew that. Seeing Jed in a pool of his own blood was a crushing blow to Abbey's spirit, and the only thing that could encourage a rebound was news of a good prognosis.

It seemed like hours, though it may have only been minutes -- perhaps it was sometime in between -- when the doctor finally walked into the waiting room. Jed was awake and alert. A chest tube had been inserted to help expand his lung. His knife wounds didn't cause any internal injuries, though he did have a torn rotator cuff as a result of the fall from the shoulder injury. The strained muscles and torn tendons of his upper arms would take time to heal and partial paralysis of his vocal chords would keep him quiet for several days. But he was alive, awake, and ready for visitors.

Leo approached him slowly as he lay on the bed, not aware that he had company. "Hey, you gave us quite a scare."

Jed jerked his head towards the door and a smile immediately dominated his face.

"He was jealous of Lizzie getting all the attention," Abbey teased before he could reply.

"How are the girls?" His voice was hoarse and it was obvious it took energy just to form those four simple words.

"Don't talk," she ordered. "The girls are both fine. I just talked to Lizzie a few minutes ago. I'll bring her by in the morning."

"Do you remember what happened?" Leo asked.

Jed looked to Abbey with a sarcastic smirk and exaggerated a nod.

"Good because the police are going to want a description of whoever did this to you."

He held up his hands in front of Abbey and bent his thumb forward. "Four? There were four of them?"

He nodded again as he watched his wife take a step back and squint her eyes at the outrage and disgust she felt. Four men had done this. They had beaten and wounded him and left him to bleed in a dark, deserted alley, by himself, alone and in pain. Had it not been for his will to survive, he may not have been discovered as quickly as he was. Anger raged inside her as she thought about what would have happened if Jed hadn't found the courage to crawl on one hand and one knee towards the crowded street where he was seen by passersby.

He saw the expression on her face, evidence of the mental torment that muffled her speech. He wanted to extend his arm to touch her, but his limitations wouldn't allow him. Instead, all he could do was tilt his head sympathetically at the anguish visible in her eyes.

"It's okay, Abbey. They'll find them." Thank God for Leo's caring touch of her arm. It brought her out of whatever daze she was in. "Listen, I'm going to go call Jenny, give you guys a few minutes alone."

As the door closed behind him, Abbey let down her guard. She turned to Jed with a trembling lip she could only reveal to him. "Do you need anything?" He shook his head. "Do you feel okay? Any major pain right now?" He turned to his side and strained to reach for a pad of paper. "Stop it!" she scolded. "Just lay still. I'll get you what you need."

She handed him the paper and a pen. He wrote slowly then grinned as he handed it back.

"May I talk now?" she read. "No. Whatever you want to say, you write down." He took back the pad and paper and held it up for her when he was finished. For the first time all night, tears clouded her vision though she didn't allow them to fall down her cheeks. "I love you too."

He stretched his good arm towards her, urging her to move forward into his embrace. They held each other loosely, painfully aware of the injuries to his body.

"I could really use a cigarette."

He meant it as a joke, but Abbey's head sprung back quickly. She wasn't laughing. "That's not funny."

"Come on."

"You have a collapsed lung, Jed. It's time to give up smoking for good."

"I was just kidding," his rough voice cracked slightly at his insistence. "But seriously, Abbey, I'm going to heal and I'll be good as new when I do."

"And I intend to keep you that way. Which means no more smoking."

"Do we have to discuss this now?"

"You're the one who brought it up."

"I thought you could take a joke," he snapped curtly.

She shot down her initial reaction to continue down this path. Instead, she changed the subject. "I told you not to talk."

"It doesn't hurt to talk. It's just a little uncomfortable."

"I don't care." She walked away from him. "You have a bruised larynx."

"What does that mean?" he asked snidely.

With a sharp turn towards him, he could tell she was annoyed. "It means there's damage to your vocal chords and if you don't stop talking and shut your mouth right now, it could be permanent!" Suddenly, the vulnerability that she had kept guarded and hidden was apparent in more than just her voice. "They punched you in the throat. They could have killed you."

He held his hand out to her once again and once again, she took it. Her head rested just under his chin as his fingers got lost in her dark auburn strands of hair.

"I'm sorry." He breathed the words in a whisper only she could hear.

"Don't. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad at you. It's just that when I saw you in that alley, soaked in blood..." She scrunched up her face to shut her eyes and fiercely shook her head as if that would erase the memory planted in her mind.

Jed pulled her in as he moved himself to the other side of the bed to give her room to lay beside him. With careful consideration, she gently crawled on top of the sheets and placed her arm around his impaired frame, leaning forward to kiss his face before laying down.

"Jed...don't talk, just listen. This last week with all the press and the reporters beating down our door, it was so easy for me to complain about our lack of privacy and the hassle that went along with all the phone calls and interview requests. I think somewhere in the confusion, I forgot to tell you what a wonderful thing I think you're doing. I do. I really do. You know, Lizzie told me that when she was in the hospital, you said that she was your hero. Well, I don't tell you enough but you're my hero and right now, you're everyone else's too."

"Not everyone."

"Didn't I tell you not to talk?" He nodded with a chuckle that made her laugh as well. "My point is that I know you probably expected me to be upset and try to convince you not to continue with this, but this is one of those times when I simultaneously surprise and confuse you. I'm not going to tell you not to do this because I love what you're doing. I support you completely. I want to help you."

"Abbey."

She covered his mouth with hers to silence him. "What's it going to look like to all those photographers if the only way to keep you quiet is a consistent lip-lock?"

He lifted his head slightly, encouraging another kiss. She met him halfway and gently pressed her lips to his to ease him back down.

It still terrified her to think that there were people out there who were targeting her husband, but the most powerful emotion they provoked in her wasn't fear. It was anger. Jed had already resolved to fight back. Now it was Abbey's turn to join him.

TBC


	12. Chapter 12

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 12

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: A distraught Abbey was relieved that Jed's injuries weren't too serious

Summary: Suffering from minor cabin fever, Jed is frustrated

- - -

Lizzie sat on the bed, menacingly staring at her father then back down at the Candyland board. He had drawn his card and there was only one place for him to go -- the Lollipop Woods, where fictional chaos and mystery abound to keep him glued to his spot.

Jed didn't move. He examined the board studiously, tilting his head to either side to get a better picture. It was usual routine just before he lost another game. And as always, it drew frustration from Lizzie.

"Daddy!"

"Hang on a second. I'm thinking."

"But you've been thinking forever."

"You know, you could be a little more patient instead of constantly nagging me. You've been doing it all day."

Something in his tone made it clear this wasn't the teasing banter she was used to. "Sorry."

Her apology filled him with remorse. She had been her normal playful self. He was the one who was cranky. "No, Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Daddy's just being a jerk."

Since his release from the hospital, Abbey left him strict instructions to remain in bed. The first few days were the roughest, just as she knew they would be. When a man like Jed Bartlet is silenced, the physical injuries take a backseat to the emotional misery that comes with abandoning the usual form of expression.

Once his vocal chords started to heal, he began speaking, but even then, the nicotine withdrawal he was experiencing made him a less than ideal patient.

Now, he had hit new levels of frustration. Lizzie had never been on the receiving end of his snippiness. "It's okay, Daddy."

"No, it really isn't. Do me a favor, okay? Don't ever start smoking."

"Okay," she laughed.

By the time Abbey returned from work, father and daughter had finished their game and Jed had tucked Lizzie in to her own bed for an afternoon nap. He didn't count on falling asleep on the floor beside her.

Reluctant to wake him, Abbey lowered herself to the ground and brushed the stray strands of hair off his forehead. "Hey you," she greeted him when he opened one eye.

"Hey. What time is it?"

"Well, I'm out of work, I picked Ellie up from the sitter's, I stopped for groceries, and now I'm home. What does that tell you?"

"That I must have had a tiring morning," he replied as she helped him to his feet and grabbed the children's book out of his hand.

"When I told you to stay in bed, this isn't what I had in mind."

"Lizzie wanted me to read her The Velveteen Rabbit." And of course, Jed could never refuse his little girl.

"Well, come on back to bed."

He took her hand, but reluctantly dragged himself along. "I've been in bed for three days. The last place I want to go is back to bed."

He detoured into the bedroom to stare down at Ellie asleep in her crib. With the finger he had just pressed to his lips, he gently touched the top of her head.

"Fine. Then I'll make up the sofa and you can talk to me while I cook dinner."

It was about as fair a compromise as he was going to get. He surrendered as he reclined against the cushions and allowed her to cover him with a throw blanket. "My voice sounds better today, don't you think?"

"I do. It's still not 100 though." He may have thought she didn't catch him rolling his eyes in response, but she did. She always did.

"Today's the first day you're actually letting me talk. There's a lot I want to say. A lot of stuff I've kept inside for the past three days."

"Oh?" She wasn't really surprised. The indignation was apparent before he even opened his mouth. Abbey prepared herself for the barrage of annoyances he was about to throw at her.

"You made Lizzie's doctor's appointment without me. I want to go with you when she gets the bandage taken off her face tomorrow."

"Absolutely not."

"Abbey..."

"It's not up for discussion, Jed. You need to stay home and take care of yourself, that is if you want to be well enough to go to the city council meeting in a few days. Lizzie will be fine."

"What if there's a scar?"

"There is a scar. I see it when I change the dressing. But it might fade over the next few months." Her optimism overshadowed by the furrowed brows and worried lines when she crinkled her forehead, she turned her face away from him and unloaded a handful of groceries into the refrigerator. "The good news is her nose is healing perfectly."

Jed adjusted his robe as he stood up and approached the counter from the other side. "She needs me there."

"She needs you here, getting better..." Her eyes connected to his before she continued. "...and so do I."

"What about what I need?"

"What do you need?"

"My cigarettes."

Abbey dropped her hands onto the counter in frustration. "Jed."

"You asked me what I need. That's what I need. And I'm quite upset that you threw them away."

"Tough." Nonchalant answers never went over well, but her dismissive attitude was especially irritating today.

"I'm serious, Abbey. This isn't funny."

"Am I laughing?"

"You think you can control every move I make. You can't. I'm still an adult. I get to decide what's good for me."

A change of subject seemed like the most productive move to avoid an argument. "Did you call the guy from Dartmouth?" He looked at her inquisitively. "I have my spies."

"No, I didn't."

"You really should. Maybe they want to offer you a job or something," she joked.

"Doubtful. Anyway, don't go off on another tangent here just to get yourself out of trouble."

"I'm in trouble am I?"

"Damn right."

"Well then." She stuck her arm into the grocery bag and pulled out a small package, tossing it to him carefully.

"What's this?"

"A compromise."

He fumbled with the wrapper then pulled out a white sugary stick with a red tip. "It's candy."

"Well, yeah. Candy cigarettes. They have the look and feel of regular cigarettes and aside from the sugar, none of the health risks. So knock yourself out, Sweetie. You can still look cool around your friends and you won't be killing yourself at the same time."

"I used to think it was cute, what you just did there."

"What did I do?"

"The way you patronize me when I'm upset with you."

"Ah."

"It's not so cute anymore," he said with a smile that contradicted his words. "And another thing -- why are you working such long hours? Don't you have residency interviews in a couple of weeks?"

"Yes, I do and the only reason I'm working slightly longer hours is because I'm going to be taking so much time off," she replied as she tried to smooth out his hair when he walked past her to grab an apple. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. My father sent me some flowers."

"Where are they?"

"In our bedroom. Out of sight, out of mind. It bugs me that he's reaching out."

"You thought it was nice when he sent them for Lizzie."

"Yeah, well, now it's creeping me out." In an effort to calm his mood swings, she simply nodded. "Why? You don't think I should be creeped out? Do you think I should call him?"

"No, I don't think you should call him."

"Why shouldn't I call him? The man did send me flowers."

Applying a bit of pressure with her hand to her eye to metaphorically rub out the frustration, she caught her breath before answering. "Do I have to remind you what happened the last time you decided to let your father back into your life?"

"No, my memory is still intact, not that that's ever stopped you before."

"Are you going to be this much fun all night?"

"What's the matter, Sweet Knees? Not up for it?" She flashed him sarcastic glare while soaking a pot in the sink. He turned from her, but only took a few steps before turning back. "There's one other thing."

"What?" she asked with an exasperated sigh.

"It occurred to me today that I never said thank you."

"You don't have to thank me for this, Jed."

"Not for this. For saving my life in that alley. Seriously, Abbey. Leo told me what happened. I mean, I remember some of it, but he filled in the blanks."

"He did?"

He approached her in a much different way than he had earlier. Exuding love and affection, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into an embrace. Her hand rested on his good shoulder and she was careful not to press her weight into him, instead allowing him to conform to her rigid frame.

"Thank you," he whispered.

TBC


	13. Chapter 13

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 13

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Cooped up for three days, Jed was cranky and frustrated

Summary: Lizzie has her bandage removed; Abbey assures Jed she'll be there to help him when he needs her

- - -

Elizabeth nervously looked around the room. Her eyes focused on one colorful wall after another, taking in the height chart in front of her, the mural of the tree and the squirrels beside her, and the weigh scale on the other side. She tilted her head, shifting her eyes back and forth, anything to avoid contact with the doctor standing above her.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

She hesitated in her response. It wasn't until Abbey squeezed her hand that she softly answered. "Yes."

The doctor pulled gently on the gauze, carefully separating it from the skin. There was no pain, but Liz flinched at the feel of the breeze of air on her cheek. It was only a momentary sense of relief to be rid of the uncomfortable bandage before she quickly tightened her hold on Abbey's hand at the thought of what came next.

The severity of the wound convinced Abbey to shelter her from mirrors when changing the dressing so this would be the first time Liz would see the scar.

With a smile on his face, the doctor handed her a mirror. "See? It's not so bad. And if you do what I tell you, it'll look even better in a few months."

"You don't think they'll be any permanent scarring?" Abbey held her breath waiting for the answer.

"Maybe a tiny one over here near her hairline, but nothing noticeable. I'm quite surprised it healed as nicely as it did actually."

"I can tell," Liz whispered. She lowered the mirror and looked at her mother. "I can see it."

"I know you can, Sweetie, but didn't you hear what the doctor said? In a few months..."

Her head hung low as she tuned out the rest of the sentence. To a six-year-old, a few months might as well be a lifetime. She remained still, even when the doctor handed her a lollipop. Her only response was a thank you, spoken after a prompt from Abbey.

Following a few failed attempts to start some sort of conversation on the way to the car, Abbey lifted her up and sat her on the trunk. She placed a finger under Liz's chin and turned her head slightly to examine the scar.

"Even out here, I barely notice it."

"I don't want a scar," Liz replied.

"Lizzie, I don't think there's going to be one."

"There is now."

"It's a small one and if you use the medicine the doctor gave you, it's going to fade."

"You promise?"

"Sweetheart, I can't promise that. But I really do think it will. Look at your nose. You didn't think the swelling was ever going to go down, but it did and now I can barely tell it was broken."

Liz let out an exasperated sigh, both annoyed and frustrated at the same time. "Yeah."

"I know something that might cheer you up. How about we stop for lunch then ice cream before we go home?"

"But it's not Friday."

"I won't tell if you don't."

She matched her mother's grin. "Okay!"

"And then tonight, after dinner, we'll change into our pajamas, camp out in the living room, and have our own little slumber party, just you and me."

"Will you do my hair?"

"And your nails! Any color you want! How does that sound, Baby Doll?"

The idea of a slumber party sparked the initial smile, but it was the nickname that captured her heart. More than ever, she relished the term of endearment that had been assigned to her at birth and the notion that despite a scar on her face and an injury to her nose, Abbey still regarded her as the same perfect little girl she had always been. Her father's approval later that evening sealed the insecurities that had run rampant since the doctor's visit.

Unfortunately, Jed's insecurities weren't as easy to repair. It was Liz's accident that propelled him into the limelight as an advocate for change. But now, it was his own injuries that gave him pause. He was scared. Not for himself, but for Abbey and the girls. The plan he designed to keep his family safe was the now the plan that jeopardized their well-being.

He didn't verbalize his fears. He should have known by now that sometimes, he didn't have to.

"Tell me what happened today," Abbey prodded.

"What do you mean? I sat here all day and read."

"And what else?" He silently wondered how she always knew just what he was trying to hide. "You did that thing you do whenever there's something on your mind." She wasn't just reading his private thoughts, she was answering them.

"That thing?"

"With your hand. You clasp your hands and rub your right thumb over the left."

"I do that all the time."

"Only when you're upset. I can even name the last five times I've seen you do it. It's that little bit of neurosis that I love about you."

Hell, until she mentioned it, he didn't even realize that habit had any symbolic value whatsoever. She knew him better than he knew himself. "You've been counting the number of times I clasp my hands together and you're accusing me of neurotic behavior?"

Avoidance. A classic Jed Bartlet trait.

"Ignoring the problem won't make it go away." There was that bit of psychoanalysis that always made him cringe. She giggled under her breath at the way he squinted his eyes towards her.

"When is your rotation in the psych ward over anyway?"

"Not soon enough to get you out of this. Are you going to tell me what's the matter or just stand there and turn your head while you narrow your eyes in my direction to try to convince me I'm wrong?"

"I don't do that!"

"You did it just a second ago and you've done it ten times in the last four days. Six of those times it was because I wouldn't let you smoke, two times when I was trying to teach you how to care for your knife wounds, and two other times when I scolded you for trying to pick up Ellie."

"You have entirely too much time on your hands, you know that?"

A triumphant smirk was all it took to seal her win. "If it isn't Lizzie's scar that's upsetting you, what is it?"

He collapsed onto the sofa, his hands clasped with his right thumb rubbing gently over his left. "The police called today. They think they found two of the guys who..."

"Jed!" She practically ran to him in her excitement. "That's great!"

"You think so?"

"You don't?"

"Two guys, Abbey. Two. There were four of them. If I go down there and identify the two they managed to catch, what's to stop the other two from retaliating?"

"You're not thinking about not going?" He turned his head away from her in confirmation. "I'm not going to let you do this."

"Do what?"

"Let this go. I'm not going to let you allow fear or intimidation to keep you from giving these guys what they deserve!"

"I'm not afraid. Not for me."

"I know that. You're afraid for me and Lizzie and Ellie. But Jed, the worst thing you can do is cower to these people. There was a time when I wouldn't have had to remind you of that."

He didn't fight her. He couldn't. Abbey was as strong-willed as he was. And all that stubbornness aside, she was right. On top of everything else, she was right. He secretly accepted it and chose to move on. "They changed the city council meeting."

"To when?"

"Friday afternoon. In private. We're moving underground, away from the media, the public, everyone."

"Because of the danger?"

"City Hall has been inundated with bomb threats, death threats aimed at councilmen. It's a circus."

"So we'll do it in private."

"I can barely talk over a whisper, Abbey. There's no way I can say everything I want to say. There's no way we can make my case."

"Yes, you can. Because I'll be there. I know what you've been working on, and tomorrow night, we'll go over everything again. I'll be right there with you at the meeting. You don't have to talk the whole time. When you can't talk, I will."

His serious expression faded as he listened, making way for a more whimsical glare. "Well, that's not going to work."

"Why?"

"How do I know you're not going to change my position to better reflect yours? You do that sometimes. Or you could change the subject of the meeting entirely. I'll be sitting there voiceless, unable to stop you and suddenly, you'll turn the meeting into a discussion of medical research."

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Medical research is severely neglected, especially by local government..."

"Abigail..."

She moved closer to him, tucking her head under his chin when his arm reached around her. "I guess you'll just have to trust me."

"Mmm. You don't leave me any other option," he teased. Her head remained still as her hand wandered to the top of his neck where she yanked on his hair. "Ow!"

His sudden jerk didn't phase her or the grip she had on him. She hadn't admitted it to him, but during his days of silence, it was the loving banter and merciless teasing she missed the most.

"Be as smug as you want. Just remember, Babe, on Friday afternoon, I'll be the one holding all the cards."

"I know you will." His playful voice was gone. He was much more somber now.

Abbey raised her head with concern. "Jed?"

"I just hate feeling so helpless."

Her arms became his anchor as his body slouched forward, deflated of even the tiny glimmer enthusiasm that energized him only moments earlier. It wasn't just the thought of retalliation that stirred his emotions. The powerlessness that raged inside him detracted from his vision of success and only multiplied his fear of failure.

TBC


	14. Chapter 14

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 14

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Lizzie's bandage was removed; Abbey promised to help Jed through the school meeting

Summary: The city council and the school committee meet with university representatives and the architects of a supplemental plan to busing; Jed and Abbey reconnect

- - -

The room was virtually empty. It was the first time in a year that such a room had been so vacant, so quiet, so detached from confusion and chaos. The pews that were ordinarily occupied by concerned citizens were noticeably absent. In their place, wooden folding chairs, all lined up in three rows, side by side, one behind the other.

A long mahogany table stretched horizontally across the front. Behind it were several high-back swivel chairs made of leather and reminiscent of the ones you'd find in any executive's office. But this was no office. This wasn't city hall. This was just a room -- a room that had been turned into a sanctuary in hopes of providing some semblance of protection to its temporary residents.

Individually, in measured intervals, city leaders emerged from their chambers, each taking a seat at the table. The Mayor sat in the middle, surrounded on both sides by councilmen. The city's school committee dispersed between them randomly, recognizing that no strategic manipulation was needed in front of the limited audience.

Jed and Abbey walked in initially undetected thanks to the bustling noise created by the small crowd. But once they were noticed, they were greeted with well wishes from the professors and education professionals in attendance.

"Who are the new guys?" Abbey asked when she found the opportunity to steal a private moment.

"They're from Dartmouth. That's what they were calling about. It seems a few of the professors want to help our cause."

"They want to teach the kids? Can they do that?"

"They'd be more like tutors, just like the rest of us. And as long as we provide them a classroom at one our universities and they're willing to drive down from New Hampshire, I don't see why we'd turn them away."

There was no mistaking the level of pride in Jed's voice. It was the same pride that was visible in Abbey's eyes when she looked at him. Unifying the state's universities was one thing, but he had captured the attention of neighboring states and persuaded them to join the fight.

As the meeting began, it was suggestive of more of an informal gathering, one that didn't require the Pledge of Allegiance or an official call-to-order. Once everyone was seated, Jed staggered to his spot at the podium. His vocal chords still raw and unpredictable, he spoke slowly. He had his prepared notes in his hand, but he didn't use them. What he had to say couldn't be expressed in a speech or a lecture. His message was about the concerned parents who desperately needed a solution to end their fears.

He personalized the situation, sharing his own story -- not as a politician, not as an advocate, not as a victim. As a father. When his voice betrayed him, Abbey stepped up beside him and just as she promised, she became his microphone, echoing his thoughts, as well as her own.

Now it was Jed's turn to tingle with pride. He always knew she was an articulate speaker, but he had forgotten the amount of conviction, emotion, and adamant persuasion present not only in her words, but in her posture, her demeanor, and her overall presentation. It was that confidence that attracted him to her in the first place. Nine years later, it was that confidence that still turned him on.

When Abbey eventually relinquished the floor to the architects of the new plan, there was a sudden physical shift in the room.

Jed and his colleagues had teamed up with a committee of experts and legal scholars to come up with a remedy. With seventeen college presidents present and ready to step forward to help solve the problem, they presented their recommendations and after countless hours of debate that lasted well into the next morning, a plan was accepted.

The city was divided into eight regions. Within the regions, each school was paired up with a specific university. University staff would tutor, mentor, and advise the students. The campus would be open for lectures and the faculty would be welcomed at the school. Busing would continue and most kids would return to their school full-time, but parents like Jed and Abbey now had another option with children like Elizabeth.

It would be two days before the rest of the city would learn about the victory achieved in seclusion, free from the media bloodhounds and the agenda-driven protesters.

By Monday, there was renewed hope within the community. It would take a long while to accurately assess the benefits of the new policy, but it would certainly start with high hopes, especially for the Bartlets.

"Are you ready?" Jed called out to Liz's bedroom.

"Almost!"

"We're going to be late." Of all the things she could have picked up from her mother, it had to be her uncanny knack for bustling around the apartment at the last minute.

With Abbey standing behind her in the doorway, Liz made her entrance. "I'm ready."

"Okay," he said with a proud smile.

"You're sure you don't want me to come with you?" Abbey offered.

"We'll be fine," Jed insisted. "I'll call you when we get there. I'll take care of her, don't worry."

"And what about you?"

"I'll take care of him!" Liz gleefully declared as she took her father's hand to lead him towards the door.

A short time later, father and daughter walked down the empty university halls, still hand-in-hand. They turned the corner and both took a simultaneous breath, preparing themselves for the next move.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Yeah." Surprisingly, there wasn't a bit of apprehension in her answer.

"If you need anything, you tell Professor Wilkinson right away."

"Okay."

"Give me a hug." He crouched down to her level and kissed her cheek as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be right down the hall if you get scared or if you just want to see me. I'm in room 203. Can you remember that?"

She nodded and turned slowly. Jed watched her open the door to the classroom, then flip herself back around to give him a subtle wave before going inside to join her classmates.

A total of eight first-graders were tutored that night with Professor Roger Wilkinson. Jed's class held twelve fifth graders. With help from the other universities, every grade in the public school system was covered and regardless of the size of the classrooms, the students arrived free from violence.

By all accounts, the preliminary reports declared the plan a successful and necessary amendment to busing. Leading the news headlines was a previously unknown Economics professor, and though no one was aware the enormous impact his perseverance in the face of opposition and intimidation would have on his future, many scholars, as well as some politicians were tuned in to his every move.

Later that evening, Jed sat up against the headboard, cushioned by the pillows behind his back as Abbey lifted her leg to the pool of moisturizer in her hand.

"Is that new? It smells new."

She stared at him for a moment before she remembered how much he loved to watch her get ready for bed. "It's vanilla."

"I like it."

A wink of her eye was all it took to melt his heart. "Good."

"I think Lizzie likes her class."

"I know she does. It's all she talked about when I tucked her in." She sauntered over to the bed, leisurely adjusting her pillows before sitting down. "So you never told me how you got the Dartmouth Three to join the fight."

"I told you they wanted to help."

"Yeah, but you had to have solicited their help at some point?"

"Nope. It was all them. Apparently, they had read some of the op-eds I wrote in response to Elliot Roush. Then when the busing thing popped up, they called."

"Dartmouth is Ivy League. They have one of the best Economics Departments in the country."

His head snapped in her direction quickly. "Abbey?"

"I'm just saying a job there would do great things for your career."

"All right, spill it."

"Spill what?" She flashed a look of sheer innocence mixed in with only a hint of a smile that always gave her away. "I overheard Professor Loehmer telling you about the vacancy next year. Are you going to go up there to meet with him?"

"Yes, but I was going to wait and tell you about it later."

"Why later?"

"I wanted to sweet talk you, make you dinner, maybe even let Lizzie in on my scheme so she could help me out."

"And I foiled your little plan."

"You and your inability to keep your ears out of private conversations, yes." Whenever he complained about her quirky little habits, it usually meant he secretly loved them.

"You're using my daughter for evil purposes."

"My daughter too. I just wanted every advantage when I try to convince you."

"Convince me of what?"

"To consider a move -- to New Hampshire, provided I get this job, of course."

"Mmm, well, what would be in it for me?"

"A husband who loves you more than anything in this world." His fingers traced her thighs lightly.

"That's not enough." She laughed in response to his exaggerated pout. "Jed, you don't have to convince me. I'm already convinced."

"You'd be happy living in New Hampshire?"

"Why else would Dartmouth-Hitchcock be on my list of residency interviews?"

"Bu you're applying all over."

"I am. But it's a great hospital. And New Hampshire is lovely place to raise Liz and Ellie. It's far away from the problems of the city, but close enough where I can still visit my parents whenever I want." She followed his lead and fluffed her pillows to recline on the mattress. "Call Loehmer in the morning."

"Do you want me to wait to make sure you get in first?"

"You have any doubt that I will?" she teased.

He grinned alluringly. "Have I told you lately how much I adore your confidence?"

"I don't think so."

"It's a real turn-on."

4She pulled back the blanket and rolled herself onto his legs, pressing her upper body down gently to connect their lips. "I love you," she whispered into his mouth.

Jed tilted his head to the side as she left a trial of kisses on his neck. "Are you sure this okay? You were awfully concerned about my wounds earlier."

"I still am. Let me do all the work." She paused when she saw a bit of uncertainty in his eyes. "Am I hurting you? I mean, we don't have to do this."

His hands gripped her hips tightly before she could roll off him. "No, I want to do this. You have no idea how much I want to do this."

"Then what?"

"Turn off the light."

"I kinda wanna see what I'm doing here," she replied seductively.

"The element of surprise is a good thing."

She lowered herself onto him again, this time fingering the buttons on his shirt with one hand and reaching for the light with the other.

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: The busing situation got some help from the university system; Jed told Abbey about a possible job offer in New Hampshire

Summary: Abbey returns home after her residency interview; Abbey realizes why Jed wants the lights out

- - -

She sprinted towards the apartment, taking two steps at a time, unable to mask the excitement responsible for the impetuous burst of energy. A deep breath was exactly what Abbey needed to calm herself before finally opening the door.

A more subdued expression now visible, she approached the candlelit table with a reserved stride, attempting to hide the fact that she wasn't surprised. She had been married to Jed for eight years and his romantic overtures had never escaped her attention.

He was so sweet, so considerate. It almost pained her to have a little fun with him. Almost.

"Hi!" She raised her voice to be heard over the running faucet in the kitchen.

Still washing a dish, he turned his head to greet her. "Hey! I wasn't expecting you for another hour."

"We finished early," she replied, handing him a towel to dry his hands.

"Am I correct in assuming the radiant smile on your face is indicative of good news?"

She paused first with an ambiguous gaze, then widened the smile and ran into his arms. "It went well! I think I'm going to be awfully happy come Match Day!"

"I knew you'd do great!" Well, that was partly true. He hoped she would and he certainly wasn't surprised that she had, but his breath did disappear into her hair as he sighed in relief.

"Then you were more confident than I was. I figured I'd be dreading the next few weeks until our residency placements came out. But I really think I'll get this one."

"Congratulations, Babe. You worked so hard for this."

"It's all thanks to you. You made me work. You helped me do it." Her hands framed his face to hold him steady while she kissed him a long, passionate kiss.

Unable to sustain his posture, his arms fell to his side. "Wow." An inadequate response, but it was all he was capable of afterwards.

"Where are the girls?"

"At your mother's." He approached her again, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and swaying from side to side. "We have the whole night to ourselves." After a peck on her lips, he released her from his grasp to reach for two glasses he filled with champagne.

"You went all out."

"Yes, I did. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, so we'll have to find something to occupy our time until then."

Her face lit up as she placed the glass on the table and spun around quickly to face him. "Let's talk about our new house. When should we start looking?"

That wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he went with it. "Don't you think you should wait until Match Day to make sure you got it?"

"No, I'm pretty confident."

"Okay then, whenever you want. We can drive up this weekend."

"That would be great! I'm sure the kids are going to LOVE New York!"

"Me too." She turned sharply and headed into the bedroom, leaving Jed behind to nearly choke on his champagne. "Wait. New York?" He chased her into the bedroom, peaking around the corner head-first before going inside. "Abbey? New York?"

She stood by the bed, her fingers frozen to her buttons. "Yeah."

"Your interview was in New Hampshire. Dartmouth-Hitchcock."

"No, Honey, it was in New York with Columbia Presbyterian." They stared at each other, each trying silently to accept the other's confusion. Abbey shook her head as she began to unbutton her jacket. "See, this is what happens when you don't listen to me."

"I do listen. I listened when you told me New York was next week."

"This morning I told you that my schedule had changed. You even wished me good luck. Remember?"

"No." His eyes followed her as she threw her jacket onto the bed and crossed the room to grab a hanger from the closet.

"Of course not, because?"

"Because I wasn't listening. You know I'm not listening when I'm grading papers."

Her hands gripped her shirt, just above the waist. She pulled it out of her skirt slowly, knowing he was watching. "Yes, but when I asked you and you said that you heard me, I just assumed you were telling me the truth." She closed the clasp of the hanger around the fabric and flung the jacket over a chair. "Remind me to drop that off at the dry cleaner's tomorrow."

He shrugged violently in an attempt to focus on the subject instead of her. "All right. Forget about that right now. What are we going to do?"

"We're going to New York. It's my top choice and if they rank me, then I'm going. We're going."

"What do you mean we're going to New York?"

"I mean you, Ellie, Elizabeth, and I are going to get in the car and drive to New York." Her skirt fell the floor and gathered around her ankles. She stepped out of it without ever removing her high heeled pumps.

"To visit."

"To live," she said with another sharp turn. This time she moved towards him. "Jed, it's residency at Columbia! Do you know that means?"

"What about New Hampshire?"

"We'll move to New Hampshire after my residency."

Had it not been for the way she nonchalantly brushed by him and passed the mirror on her way to the closet, he may never have caught the reflection of the small smile and triumphant wiggle of her head.

He was being set up. He had two options. He could confront her or he could play along. "Well, you're half right."

He chose the latter.

She flipped her skirt over the back of the chair after securing it with a hanger. "What do you mean half right?"

"Columbia Presbyterian is a wonderful hospital."

"One of the best."

"And New York is only a few hours from New Hampshire."

Closing the closet door, she addressed him with a sympathetic tilt of her head. "I'm sorry. I know you were looking forward to Dartmouth."

Is that what this was all about, he wondered. The manipulative little sneak. "I'm still looking forward to Dartmouth."

"You don't think it's too long a commute from New York?"

"I don't. Not for holidays and weekends."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't mind driving down to New York to see you." It was a risky little game, but he couldn't resist.

It was impossible to hide her surprise... "What?"

Though he did hide the bit of pleasure he got out of seeing it. "What what?"

"You're going to New Hampshire?" That wasn't the response she expected. "Without me?" she asked in an irate tone she reserved to express major displeasure.

"I already made a commitment to Dartmouth."

"That was before."

"You're the one who told me to go ahead with it. You were confident."

"Jed, I can't go to New Hampshire."

"I know that. We'll make due, Abbey. No one said this was going to be easy."

"We'll be apart from each other? I have an internship to complete then five years of residency." His cavalier attitude gave her doubt, but she wasn't ready to call him on it.

"We'll still visit. I'll bring the girls down..."

The girls. That gave him away. He always had a lousy poker face.

"The girls," she simply repeated, now realizing he was giving her a taste of her own medicine. He always did that. She hated it that he always did that.

"Yeah. Ellie and Lizzie. Well, they can't very well live with you. You've told me how hectic a resident's schedule is."

"It is hectic." There was no attempt to erase the grin that formed on his face when she sat down next to him wearing nothing but a sheer satin slip. "I guess you're right. The girls would certainly be better off with you."

"Can I get that in writing?" he teased.

She probably should have stopped there, but she was tempted to take it just a step further. "And you never know where our lives will be headed after six years."

"We could meet new people." He nodded, obviously secure with his joke until a look of seriousness suddenly washed over her.

"I already have...met someone, I mean." She lowered her eyes to the floor when he stared at her. "He's a cardiologist I met today. A guy named Robert Nolan. Nice, good looking...when he kissed me, I was appalled, but now..."

"Okay, okay. Enough of this little game."

"No. He really did kiss me." She looked at him and immediately broke character when confronted by his less-than-amused expression. "What's the matter, Gumdrop?"

"Not funny."

"Well then, you shouldn't have brought up the girls."

"You shouldn't have lied, you little trickster, especially after I went through all the trouble to make a delicious congratulatory dinner."

"That's what you get for not listening to me this morning."

"You said you were going to New Hampshire and you went to New Hampshire."

"That's right."

"So then how did you know I wasn't listening?"

"It was obvious. What I didn't know is that you fully acknowledge that you never listen when you're grading papers."

"That was a mean trick."

She swung her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head towards her. "It was funny."

"No, I mean it, Abbey, it was mean. You scared me." He was partly kidding, but there was just a slight undertone of solemnity to his voice, enough to persuade her not to challenge him.

"Let me take away your fears."

She pushed him back against the mattress and straddled his hips, brushing his hair off his forehead as she placed soft kisses all over his face. Their lips still connected, her fingers reached for the zipper on his pants, then made their way inside his sweatshirt.

The feel of his warm skin against her hands ended abruptly as he wiggled underneath her. She sat up, her legs still constricting his. "What?"

"Nothing." He strained himself to flick the switch, then conformed to his original spot beneath her.

She repeated his motion and turned the light back on. "Why did you turn them off?'

"Abbey."

"You used to enjoy making love with the lights on. It's been two months since we've done that. Is there something I should know?"

"No."

She lowered herself back down, pressing her chest into his. This time, when her lips made their way to his face, he turned from her, restricting her access and giving her pause. "Jed, I'm not exactly an idiot, you know."

"I never thought you were," he responded as she rolled off him.

"Why won't you let me see the scars?"

"They're repulsive, Abbey."

"No, they're not," she answered quickly. "They're part of you. I could never find anything about you repulsive."

"I'm not comfortable yet, okay? They're still kind of raw."

"They're going to be a reminder of what you went through to stand up for what you believe in, to keep our daughter and all the other kids in this city..."

"Don't. I know all of that. I'm just not ready."

Abbey knew that cosmetic imperfections usually plagued women, not men. But she also realized her husband had deep insecurities he had harbored since childhood. They usually revolved around his personality and intellect, not his looks. But in this case, the knife hadn't just sliced his skin. It sliced a piece of his confidence as well.

It wasn't vanity. It was simply a blow to his ego. She knew that too.

Jed twisted his head in her direction. No response. For several minutes, she laid back, staring at the ceiling with no reply. Finally, she climbed on top of him again, this time holding his shoulders as she locked her eyes into his.

"I'm your wife and no matter what, I'm always going to love you, every inch of you. There's absolutely nothing about you that could repulse me. I hope that eventually, you'll realize that and you'll be comfortable with me seeing them." She stretched her arm to reach for the switch, turning off the light, just as he wanted. "In the meantime, I know where everything is," she provocatively declared as she gently squeezed his swollen shaft.

His hands firmly grasped on her waist, he pushed her to the side in one fluid movement, landing on top of her as she laughed. They had 40 minutes left until dinner.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

Series: Snapshots of the Past

Story: Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 16

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Previously: Abbey was accepted for residency in New Hampshire; Jed got a job at Dartmouth

Summary: After a run-in with John, Jed takes Abbey and the girls to their New Hampshire farmhouse

With thoughts of a new start looming in the background, the Bartlets geared up for their big move. Countless hours of house hunting finally resulted in the purchase of a charming, yet affordable Cape Cod-style three bedroom home, complete with a white picket fence and spacious backyard.

In the months before leaving Boston, Abbey prepared for commencement while reflecting on the four long years it took to earn her medical degree. She looked forward to beginning the first chapter of her professional career and struggled with the knowledge that it was going to be an arduous period of adjustment, not only for her, but for the entire family.

Jed's attention was otherwise occupied. For days, he had been fighting his conscious in a battle his intuition should have won. He eventually succumbed to the tortured realization that he couldn't leave Boston without taking care of one more thing.

John Bartlet was a lousy father. There was little disagreement on that. But to Jed, he was still the only father he'd ever have. Since childhood, he held on to the hope of a normal, functional father/son relationship. He buried that hope somewhere deep inside, but he always nurtured it, causing it to grow throughout the years until there came a time when it finally overwhelmed him.

That time was now.

He sat in his car in front of John's house for what seemed like hours. Every few minutes, his hand reached for the door handle, but he resisted, convincing himself he wasn't ready to make a move.

Little did he know the decision would soon be out of his hands.

He rested his head against the steering wheel, snapping his neck back when he heard a knock on the window.

"Jed?" John stood with creased brows, presumably wanting an explanation.

Jed opened the door and stood slowly, mentally kicking himself for being seen. "Hi."

"What are you doing?"

"I...I wanted to personally thank you for the flowers when Lizzie and I were in the hospital." No matter how old he was, his nerves were uncontrollable when in the presence of John.

"You're welcome." Jed wasn't the only one with wandering eyes. The seemingly awkward silence was just as difficult for John. "Come on inside. It's a little chilly out here."

The two men headed up the sidewalk and into the townhouse, but nothing could alleviate the tension that was now caged in the confines of the room - the same room which set the stage for the physical confrontation that ended their last meeting.

His level of discomfort quickly rising, Jed began speaking. "We're moving to New Hampshire." Probably not the best conversation-starter, but he was at a loss. He noted the lack of surprised in John's reaction.

"I still talk to Jack. I hear things."

"I wasn't sure you had. I just wanted you to know."

"I appreciate the thought." Scorn and disdain can sometimes hide behind the guise of pleasant words, but usually, it doesn't go unnoticed.

"Well, I guess that's all." With no response, he walked towards the door.

"What will you be doing in New Hampshire?" John asked just before Jed turned the knob.

He turned to face him, cautiously reminding himself that lengthy conversations rarely resulted in anything more than heartache. "Teaching at Dartmouth."

No congratulations or well wishes. Just another nod of the head and, of course, the reveal of what was really eating away at him. "I hear the state democrats are trying to recruit you to run for office."

"It was mentioned in passing," Jed replied dismissively.

"You're a Bartlet, Jed. You better be sure you can win. You'll shame the entire family if you don't." Was it jealousy or just an incessant need to be cruel that motivated John, Jed wondered. Truth was, John didn't really know either.

"I haven't decided yet."

"If the votes aren't there, let it go."

"I said I haven't decided yet." He was more forceful this time. But an effort to squash his irritation had failed miserably. "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"You try to discourage me before I even make up my mind."

"I'm not discouraging you. I'm trying to save you and this family from any more embarrassment."

If only he could go back in time, he would have pointed out that that it was just as chilly inside as it was outside. "Any more embarrassment? What the hell does that mean?"

"Look, it was one thing for you go off half-cocked in Boston, but now you'll be living in New Hampshire. It's a different ballgame."

"Half-cocked? The university plan was a success!"

"Eventually. But how much did it take to get there? You nearly got yourself KILLED when you could have easily just transferred Elizabeth to private school!"

Jed's heart warmed to the possibility that the reason John was so angry was because he would have given a damn if his son actually had gotten himself killed. He resisted the urge to ask for fear that he was wrong. "She would have lost a year. We didn't want that."

"Of course you didn't. Because you found a way to fight government, once again, and reap the public benefits at the same time. And isn't that really what it's all about? The attention?"

With a nod of acknowledgment, Jed turned his back to John. "This was a mistake."

"It always is."

"I came here to thank you. I've done that. Goodbye." The door was open, but his first step outside was interrupted.

"There's something else." John pulled out a keyring and held it in his hand until Jed turned back around. He gently threw the keys across the room. "Those are the keys to the farm."

"We're not staying at the farm."

"It's yours now."

"What do you mean it's mine? Your father left you that farm."

"No, he didn't. He left it to your mother. The sanctimonious old bat didn't think I was up to the task of handling his pride and joy." He probably should have recognized the loathsome tone, for it was the same one he was using with his son. "Anyway, before she died, she wanted you to have it."

"She's been dead over a year. Why are you just telling me about this now?"

"You were never going to New Hampshire until now."

One excuse after another wears thin after nearly 30 years. "What else?"

"What else what?"

"Is there anything you're keeping from me? Anything else Mom wanted me to have?"

"You were at the reading of the will, Jed. Like I said, I kept the farm to myself because you had no use for it."

"Whatever you say," Jed muttered under his breath as he moved swiftly towards the open door.

"I wouldn't mind a picture of Eleanor when..." His statement cut off from the harsh slam, John simply shrugged in response.

It took several days for Jed to muster up the courage to tell Abbey about the farm. He feared a line of I told you so's since she had warned against contacting his father. But he didn't get that. Instead, he was greeted with a sympathetic ear as she listened for hours to the anger and hurt that spilled from within him.

Another few weeks passed before the family piled into the car and drove to New Hampshire. They had originally planned to visit their new home in Hanover, but the day-long excursion turned into a weekend getaway when the detour to the newly acquired farmhouse piqued Lizzie's interest.

Spanning a country roadway a few miles outside of Manchester, the property had an open field accentuated by purple lilacs and a large variety of pink and red roses that had outgrown the previously small garden. They now lined the rocky brook that extended through the land and out into the woodlands.

The house itself was a custom colonial home with oak floors and a spacious floorplan, complete with six bedrooms, a downstairs den, a sunroom, and a hottub out back.

But none of that intrigued the little girl. Lizzie's attention was captivated almost immediately by the animals. Having never owned a pet, she was overwhelmed. Her eyes glazed over the cows, sheep, and goats that ran around somewhat freely when she noticed a horse barn in the distance. Suddenly, all her reservations about the move vanished and she envisioned the long overdue fantasies of pony rides coming to fruition.

"Daddy! Daddy! Do they have horses?"

"I don't know," Jed answered skeptically as he nudged Abbey. "We should probably check on that."

"Don't ask me, it's your farm."

"Can't we live here? Please?"

Abbey found it difficult to maintain composure when Jed seemed to be just as excited as Lizzie. "Sweetie, it's too far from where Mommy and Daddy work."

"So?"

"So we can't live here. I'm sorry," she replied while swinging Ellie around in her arms. "But we can visit and one day, this place is going to belong to both you and Ellie."

"We'll have to share?"

"You bet you will," Jed interrupted. "But think about how much fun you'll have here with your families."

"Can we at least spend the night tonight?" Clearly, she was more interested in the present than in the future.

"Tonight?" Abbey was a bit more apprehensive.

"Yeah!"

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Jed agreed. "Lizzie, run up to the house and pick out a bedroom."

"Jed, I don't have enough diapers, we don't have any food."

"We'll go shopping."

"Not to mention we're out in the middle of nowhere."

He began walking towards the house, opening his arms to take in the fresh country air. "Awasiwi Odanak, Sweet Knees. Far from the things of man. When I was kid, I used to love coming here, walking alongside the creek, playing soccer with Jack, feeding the animals. We didn't have a horse barn back then."

"Good thing or you would have been quite the injured little boy."

"I'll have you know I could have been a world-famous equestrian if I had wante to."

5"I believe it." Her smile was cut short by Jed's somber expression. "Honey, you understand why we can't live here, right?"

"You mean besides the fact that we already bought a house?"

"Once I start my residency, I'm going to be at work around the clock. I need to be close to the hospital."

"Yeah, I know."

"But once that's over, it's nice to know we'll have a place waiting for us." They walked up the steps to the front porch, Jed pointing the way to a swing just around the side of the house. "And speaking of which, how much is it going to cost to run this farm?"

"Nothing right now. Everything's paid for through the next five years."

"So it's really ours?" she asked as she took her seat.

"Yeah. We can come here whenever we want. Long weekends, school vacation, a few day trips even."

"Sounds nice."

Lizzie ran outside, immediately sprinting into her father's arms. Jed lifted her up onto the swing, placing an arm around her waist so she could lean back against him. Abbey held Ellie close in a similar position as the wind gingerly swayed them back and forth.

For the first time in their married lives, the Bartlets were free to enjoy the calm serenity of the country, far away from the noisy sounds of the bustling city. It was a peaceful oasis, far removed from the problems of the world, where, just for a moment, life seemed simple and uncomplicated.

This part of their lives was just beginning.

The End

To be continued in The Anniversary Waltz


End file.
